A Hero's Call
by BlueCampanula
Summary: Sibyl Lasko never asked to be shoved from waking reality into a world completely different from her own, a world that shouldn't have been real. Having been called by the Goddess, now she must aid Gaia's hero and change fate itself in order to find her way back to the world she knew, if a way even exists to begin with.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Final Fantasy 7 is one of the greatest games I've ever played. From the story line to the characters and even the music I was drawn in by it; it was a big part of my childhood. Ever since I recently thought about it again after reading about _Crisis Core_, I've had my imagination going. I finally decided to write an OC story for it. Here is the first chapter, and I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave a review or a comment on anything.

_Edited:_ 3/16

* * *

**Chapter One: The Unknown**

* * *

**...**

Some people have said that things happened for a reason, but whether it is due to fate or something else, I wasn't so sure. In the beginning, it had seemed like pure random chance that things happened the way they did. I didn't understand it at first, but slowly everything that I was going through began to open my eyes and I got to see what was the truth for myself.

Things were lost and new things were gained.

I found myself wondering countless times if I had just made it all up, but I couldn't bring myself to say that it wasn't real. And it was real; every single bit of it. Proof enough was the angry looking pink mark that marred the skin close to my shoulder. My eyes too didn't look the same either.

And that was enough to prove to myself that I wasn't crazy. There was also still…a connection since _that_ had happened. It still felt as if bits of the lifestream were pulsing through my veins as if I hadn't left.

Goddess, what could I do?

They all said it was a dream, a result of the coma and the medications I had been placed on from the accident. They said it would quickly wear off and everything would return to normal, and that I'd go back to being the happy, young college student that I was. And yet… not even a month after I got out of the hospital, this place, this life, it all seemed like a dream.

No. This place was the dream. Wherever I went after that, I always heard somebody whispering behind my back, mostly uttering words of pity from one to another.

"See her? Yeah, Sibyl Lasko."

"—was such a good student. Poor girl hasn't been the same since…"

The place that I used to call home didn't actually seem like home anymore and I felt more alienated from the people there than ever before. The ironic thing was that the entire time I was in that other world, my plan had always been to leave it; I had been hell-bent on getting back home. Now that I was back however, I couldn't stay. It was because that place and those people had become my home. And oh, how I missed them.

And somewhere in the back of my mind I hoped that_ He_ would come get me like he always did.

But now I was starting to doubt myself. With each passing day back in the real world, I could feel my own sanity slowly slipping from me; things were becoming so much harder. The only thing I could do was start to create a record of what it was that happened.

So I picked up a pen and began to write.

This whole entire thing had started on that day…

* * *

_..._

"Hey, Sib! Wait up; you're getting too far ahead!"

"I'll be fine!"

Finding another foothold in the craggy path I was following, I threw a quick glance over my shoulder to look at the other girl behind me. I could see her not too far back, ducking under some of the wayward branches, her hair plastered to her face with sweat much like mine was. Turning back around I came to a stop and took a in a deep breath of the rich air.

There I was looking over the forested mountain range stretching out as far as the eye could see. The wind was pulling at the trees, causing the mountainside to ripple like water. Spring was in the air and the world had exploded in green. I couldn't resist it one bit; hiking in the spring time was one of the things I looked forward to every year. It was when the weather was just right and not too hot or cold.

"You alright there, Emma?" I asked as I heard her approaching. The brunette girl halted at my side and was bent over catching her breath.

"You…move…way to fast. I think you left everyone behind. This is a group hike for a reason, ya know?" she said before unceremoniously plopping herself on the ground, fanning her face rapidly. "Now let's wait for the others to catch up, safety in numbers, right?"

"You're killing me, Em" I said sarcastically with a hurt expression. I laughed and patted her shoulder "Alright. We'll wait, then." I walked over and sat down on a ledge we were near and swung my boots over the edge. Smoothing out my khaki colored shorts, I took out my phone and used the screen's reflection to check my appearance. Seeing my deep brown eyes staring back, I redid my ponytail, combing my fingers through my black hair to gather the loose strands.

After a few seconds, I got up from the ledge to walk back to my friend. But just as I turned to move away, something shiny caught my eye below the ledge I was sitting at. Lowering down to a squatting position, I eyed the water that was a little ways below; there was something in it that was letting off an abnormal, sparkly green light.

"Hey Em, you should come see this" I said with my eyes still aimed at the glow.

What was it?

It was something that caught the light and made the water shimmer. Out of curiosity, I slowly lowered myself down the side of the ledge to get a closer look; with the water moving, I couldn't tell what exactly it was. I dipped my hand into the cool water and reached towards the source of the unusual glow...It was warm.

Distracted by the weird sensation covering my hand, I almost didn't notice the cries of shock from my friend.

And why was it that she was shouting?

It was because in the blink of an eye, I found myself underneath the frothy, cold water. Something had tugged on my hand, yanking me into the stream, and it wasn't letting go.

The water seemed to wrap around my body and it felt as if I was caught in a small current. I couldn't fight it; my limbs had gone completely numb for some reason and I was left unable to kick my legs or flail my arms. My lungs started to burn and the last thing I remembered hearing were frantic shouts. I could only guess afterwards that the rest of the hiking group finally caught up. My vision then grew dark, as if being lulled into sleep.

* * *

...

Dark grey clouds were the only things I could see at first; the remnants of a storm that the weather didn't predict that day. There was a field of endless flowers that stretched over the horizon and I was standing right in the middle of it. But the other thing I noticed was that I wasn't alone. Not far from where I was stood a beautiful lady with golden locks, adorned in very extravagant armor standing before me.

wondered who she was; her entire being radiated a powerful presence, one that was almost angelic. I knew that I should have felt terrified, but instead I stood in awe. As my eyes continued to stare at her, there was a small feeling that she was awfully familiar. Her eyes had drawn on me and as if to answer my question, a voice began echoing among the clouds.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess." It spoke.

Rattled by the sudden noise, I shrank a little before the words registered in my mind. Shaking my head in slight confusion, I looked at her once more. "You're… the Goddess?" I whispered uncertainly. She gave me a gentle smile in response, still maintaining her veil of silence.

That one phrase clicked in my mind; I had to have been hallucinating. I remembered now where I recognized her from; she was the Goddess, Minerva, from a game I had played a few years back.

"I must have hit my head when I fell into the stream" I rationalized out loud.

A loud crash of thunder jolted me from my spot on the ground.

The Goddess then spoke gently.

"Gaia requires your assistance."

"Wait…what?" I sputtered out in confusion.

With a burst of lightening I cringed, shielding my eyes before my vision went dark again.

* * *

...

I quickly snapped my eyes back open, ignoring the fact that I was submerged in water. My first and only thought then was that I had to get out. Upon opening my eyes however, my sight was met by green light.

Or was it water?

Brushing aside that fact, I struggled to kick my way to the surface with my lungs demanding even more oxygen by the second. I had recovered some feeling in my legs now, but my body itself seemed to be really weak. After a few seconds I finally broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. I could feel my head throbbing and the air I was exposed to felt like it was burning my skin on contact.

Faintly seeing an outline of what appeared to be a shore line, I struggled to swim in that direction. Eventually the water got shallow and I was able to crawl out of its grasp. After I could only feel pebbles underneath my hands and knees, I collapsed and lay sprawled on my back in exhaustion. For some reason unknown to me, my body was fighting me with every bit of motion, even my breathing.

What was that strange dream?

While I lay on the rocky surface, I found myself looking around and trying to make sense of my surroundings. I was in a cave of some sort and a rather small one at that; I immediately judged that I would barely be able to stand up in it if I tried. The stalagmites that surrounded me were reflecting the eerie, pulsing green color that the water emitted which left me utterly confused.

"Em?" a tiny voice squeaked out. I flinched a little at its sound.

Had that come from me?

"Emma!" I tried again, speaking as loud as my exhausted body would allow.

Again the same voice reached my ears, bouncing off the cave walls. It wasn't mine, it sounded too young. I started to rationalize, thinking it was the cave that was distorting my voice. I realized that I needed to find a way out, a way to get back to everyone else; wherever I was, it wasn't anywhere familiar. My phone sadly wasn't an option. It had fallen out of my pocket somewhere in the water when I fell in.

Slowly rolling over, I tried standing up.

To my surprise, I could stand in the small cave. An even worse surprise I discovered was that my legs, no, my whole body screamed at me in protest from standing. Everything burned and ached. And to make matters worse, it seemed like my clothing had grown a dozen sizes too big. My shorts were barely being held up and my even my sports bra I had on was fitting me like a loose crop top underneath my dress of a shirt.

After discarding my shirt and even my shoes and tightening my belt as far as it would go, I managed to stand straight up. My vision, however, was shaking and I felt groggy. It was when I started getting used to moving that I realized I could hear a faint whispering all around me, echoing off the walls of the cave. I froze for a moment, thinking that someone was there with me, but the voice didn't sound…normal.

"H-hello?" I called out timidly.

There was no response to my call, but the whispering got a little louder.

I turned my head in all directions desperately trying to find the source of the voice, thinking and hoping that I wasn't really alone; it was bouncing off the rocky terrain making it hard to pinpoint where it was. I staggered forward, trying to regain control over my balance as I began trying to find the source.

My heart dropped at what I found next.

The voice only led me a few steps away to a strange green stone that lay at edge of the luminescent water. Trudging over, I reached down and scooped it up; as soon as I touched it, an unusually warm feeling coursed through it. It sounded out one last word, unclear to my ears. The voice had been coming from the stone.

It was odd, to say the least.

I appraised the stone a bit more, rubbing my fingers over the smooth surface before I decided to take it, tucking it into my pocket for safe keeping; it was small enough to be mistaken as a golf ball and hardly bulged out of my now baggy pocket.

And as soon as I put it away the cave went deathly quiet, leaving me in a deafening silence. Unnerved by this, I began searching for a way out and struck forward following the stream of water in the direction it appeared to glow less. That appeared to be my way out.

Walking alongside the water, my thoughts consumed me once more.

Had I been hallucinating?

* * *

...

After what seemed like forever, I managed to scrape my way out to the surface barely standing on my feet. Looking at the outside of it, the cave I was in was relatively small and ingrained into the side of a shallow cliff; it was almost unnoticeable from a regular point of view with the exception of the small stream flowing from it.

Peeling my gaze away from it and onto my surroundings, I finally took notice of the trees around me; there were a lot of them dotting the landscape. That would've been a good sign, except for the fact that they weren't the tall temperate forest trees I was used to. From what I could see, they were much shorter with some almost tropical in appearance. The ground that they stood also on was not the familiar hilly terrain I was on not too long ago. In fact, looking around I didn't see anything familiar.

My legs wavered slightly underneath me. Glancing up, the sky itself looked like it just finished storming, even though there weren't supposed to be any rain showers that day. A part of me began to feel that I wasn't just seeing things anymore.

"Maybe…that vision was real?" I breathed out. My head was still throbbing. Everything seemed wrong. The air seemed saturated with unknown energy. My body wasn't functioning properly and my voice still wasn't back to normal. I just wanted to go home. Struggling to move myself from the place I stood, I stumbled over to the stream I had followed out and kneeled down next to it.

Now with enough light, I was able to see my reflection.

I was horrified.

What stared back at me wasn't exactly my face. The eyes that stared back at me instead of being a rich deep brown were tainted with crimson, the color of blood. But that wasn't what my attention was focused on. It was the fact that instead of staring at the reflection of a twenty year old college student, I was looking at the gaunt face of a child with ridiculously spikey black hair.

I would have laughed at how ridiculous I my appearance was, but the shock of it was just too much. With my limbs finally giving out on me for good this time, I lost my balance.

"Not again" I moaned pitifully as I pitched forward into the gently flowing water beneath me.

* * *

...

I didn't lose consciousness this time. Instead, I was floating along with the stream with my face barely bobbing along the surface and my eyes closed to stop any water from getting in them. I wasn't happy to be back in water, but this water compared to the water in the cave was helping to wash off that burning feeling that had consumed my body.

It wasn't long before the trees began to thin out and I started feeling more sunlight cascading onto my face than before. I had managed to pull up against what felt like a fallen log in the stream; I hauled myself over it as much as I could. Unsure of what else to do after that, I remained where I was with half of my body over the log and the other half in the water.

My mind was scattered and my body was nearly comatose. I couldn't even call out for help because my lungs were too weak. Not that anyone would be around to save me. This definitely wasn't a dream anymore. I had been here too long and, hell, everything I touched felt real to me, from the water I was in to the sun on my face.

If it weren't for my current state, perhaps I might have actually enjoyed where I was.

After what seemed like a few hours, I vaguely heard a voice calling out to me. Pulling my attention to the voice, I slightly opened my eyes, turning my head in its direction, sinking part of my face into the water. My vision had become too blurry to see much and my head was still pulsing with pain.

The voices were becoming muffled, two of them now. The next thing I could see, was a small figure approaching. It knelt beside where I was, grabbing my arm and fishing me out of the water. Before I knew it, I was being scooped up and gently placed over someone's bony shoulder.

I could see the second figure approaching now. With a little more blood being rushed to my head, I briefly caught sight of who it was. It was a lean-built kid with black hair and striking blue eyes; He had to be no older than twelve. After they briefly exchanged words, both the one who had found me and his friend began moving quickly.

Zoning in and out of awareness after what felt like only a few minutes, I was able to notice a subtle scent in the air. It smelled oddly enough like something sweet, akin to apples. The person carrying me readjusted my position slightly to keep me from sliding off his shoulder; it sent a wave of pain riveting through my body. I groaned. My limbs still had that burning sensation from before and the voices of my rescuers were even more distant than ever.

"Am I dying?" I whispered before losing consciousness for the last time.

* * *

...

And that was how my story began in a world that I never thought could have truly existed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**Something I forgot to mention before, I definitely do not own Final Fantasy. I only own my OC.

Edited: 3/16

**Chapter 2: Questions**

* * *

**...**

Questions.

All I had were questions, and lots of them.

"Ok, you have my attention now" I said with my small voice resounding into the vast emptiness. I once again found myself in the strange landscape of my first dream, only now, the ground reflected the stormy skies above me. The Goddess Minerva stood as she had before, in the same awe inspiring yet intimidating manner; her entire being seeming to radiate a sense of terrifying power and wisdom.

"How old am I?"

"Seven" a voice whispered.

"Okay...Where am I?" I questioned timidly.

The Goddess just held her gaze and nodded her head slightly as if to confirm what in my mind I already knew. I had somehow ended up on Gaia; a planet that existed only in a game that I dearly loved.

"There is no way—that's not possible!" I stuttered, sharply turning away from her gaze. The dark skies rumbled with thunder in response. I found myself staring at the reflection on the ground below my feet; it echoed back the image of a child. I looked deeply into my reflection's crimson stained eyes.

I didn't know what had happened to me or why I was even there to begin with.

Seeing a slight shift in the corner of my vision, I brought my focus back to the Goddess. My eyes slowly widened as she moved to speak: "You are here to aid my children, to protect them and to help vanquish the calamity from the skies."

Calamity from the skies? Did she… mean Jenova?

"Wait a second, how do I get home first? I can't just up and leave my other life behind; I have a lot on my plate as it is."

"Fulfill your task and you will find your home."

"How?" I snapped nervously. "And by myself? Everything I already know about this world already happened, there's nothing I can do! And it was a story for Pete's sake! I'm not the hero!"

She was only giving me vague answers.

Taking a deep breath, I ran my hand through my hair and let out a shaky laugh. This whole entire situation was just messed up. In fact, something like this shouldn't have even had the slightest possibility of happening in the first place, yet there I was in the middle of it and I didn't know what to do.

What good could I even do?

The silence answered back to my questions as the Goddess remained waiting patiently for me to calm down.

"It didn't happen yet, did it?" I asked tentatively.

"To find the answer to all of your questions, live this life. Learn to belong here. You will know what to do." She spoke with a voice as gentle as the wind.

Hearing those words sparked hope inside of me. I just had to finish the task. _'This could be…exciting'_ I mused. Bringing my attention back to the goddess once more, my eyes were filled with a new spark. I started to say something back to her when, all of a sudden, she began to fade into nothingness.

"Wait!" I cried. "Am I to do this all alone? I'm powerless!" I cried desperately. She was leaving me to my own devices.

Giving me one last glance, she spoke her last words: "Fear not, you will find that you are not alone and that you are not as powerless as you think." With that she vanished, taking the plane of existence with her. I was cast back into darkness, left with more questions than ever before.

"Now go forth! Awaken!" a voice boomed.

* * *

...

The air was...warm and even a little humid. The first thought in my mind was of the beach I used to visit with my family when I was younger; we hadn't gone in years since the economy had gone sour. It felt nice and almost relaxing with the sweet smell of apples from earlier.

My eyes slowly opened to see a wooden beamed ceiling above. The walls around it were plastered white, like an old cottage. The Sunlight faintly flickered through the opening of a small window, giving the ceiling and the walls a soft, golden glow. I would have actually thought that I was at the beach, had I not remembered what had just happened to me.

Where on Gaia did I end up?

The Goddess had been way too vague.

And why in the world was I stuck in the body of a seven year old?

_'I guess the only thing I can do is focus on that task…But where to begin?' _I wondered. I couldn't think clearly; in addition to fatigue, my thoughts were being drowned out by the ridiculously loud hum of insects outside. I groaned shifting my position in the small straw bed I was in. Wherever I had ended up, it certainly wasn't Midgar. Judging by the air and by the few wood furnishings around, I had ended up in some small, poor, rural village.

I needed to look around; the sooner I found out where and when I was, the better.

Rolling over slightly, I began to try and push myself up into a sitting position, causing the small bed to creak a little at my movement. My arms started to shake under the strain, but I was determined to sit up. That was when a voice stopped me.

"Wait just a minute, dear! You shouldn't be moving too quickly after what you've been through" the voice said. I glanced over to my left. The voice belonged to that of a middle-aged woman with long, dirty blonde hair pulled into a messy bun and warm brown eyes. She stepped through the doorway to the room, walking closer to my bedside.

"You're probably wondering where you are and how you got here" she said grabbing a little washcloth and dabbing it on my forehead. "Isn't that right, little one?"

I nodded my head slightly. She helped me sit up and even propped a pillow up under my back for support.

"You are in a town called Banora."

'_Banora?' _I thought, _' Wasn't that the home to Zack Fair's teacher, Angeal Hewley? And not just him, but Genesis Rhapsodos too…' _My mind quickly flipped through the information I had and I had sinking feeling in my stomach; I was in a place that was doomed to be massacred by a crazy, rogue First Class. Great. And even worse, I'd only read about that game he was in. For all I knew, he could show up the day after tomorrow or in a month.

On the bright side it at least narrowed down when I was in the story.

Not seeing my frown, the lady continued.

"Do you remember what town you're from?" She said softly.

I thought for a moment. Where could I say I was from? I had the vaguest sense that if I picked some random place I knew of on Gaia that I could be caught lying. "I don't remember" I smartly replied.

"Do you remember who your family was?"

"I don't know."

"Your name?"

"It's…" I thought for a moment. "It's Sibyl. Sibyl Lasko."

I saw no harm in giving my full name; it wasn't like Shinra would imprison a little seven year old for not being registered in their systems anyways. And giving up my own name in place of another wasn't something that appealed to me; my name was the only name I would respond to.

"Hmm" she mumbled. "Wait here just one second dearie, I'll be back" she announced before leaving the small room and shutting the door behind her. I couldn't help but think that that whole exchange had been awkward. She didn't have any idea how to treat a child, did she? And I couldn't tell whether the sympathy in her voice was real or not.

I then faintly heard a muffled conversation from the next room over. Leaning forward a bit, I strained my ears to listen. Surprisingly, I could distinguish a few words.

"The gir….Lasko….Doesn't know….." the lady's voice uttered out.

A second, much lower voice chimed in "…town flooded…..mako poiso….won't tell…"

From what I could make out, what they said was interesting. They seemed to think that I was from some town that flooded. When? They also mentioned…mako poisoning? Then it clicked: That was odd glowing, green water I nearly drowned in. That might explain why I had been in so much pain. It had to have made me comatose for a while. The question was, how long?

Then again, who were the people that rescued me?

I knew for certain it hadn't been the lady.

The door opened again, breaking me from my thoughts. The lady returned with an older looking gentleman with greying hair leading. Stopping beside the bed where I was, the man introduced himself "My name is Ale Kallas, and this," he said gesturing to my blonde caretaker, "Is my wife Agatha. Now-"

"But you can call me Auntie, if you like! I should've introduced myself when you got up, sorry" the lady jumped in. I gave her a weak smile in response.

The man cleared his throat before continuing. "Given the circumstances, we have decided that you will be under our care for the time being." I tilted my head in confusion. I was curious. What circumstances? Seeing the confusion in my eyes, Agatha offered an answer.

"There was a flash flood a few days ago and you were found in the water…" she trailed off, unsure of how to continue. She didn't know how to explain a disaster to a little kid. Hell, I gave her points for trying.

"Oh" I simply responded. The tension in her eyes seemed to melt away. I guess she was relieved I understood. That or she wouldn't have to explain any further. "How long was I out for?" I inquired.

"About four days," Ale responded. "You were very sick." Looking at his wife he mumbled "And we nearly thought you had mako poisoning."

"Mako poisoning?" I feigned ignorance.

"How to put this…Mako is a substance that looks like green water. Being exposed to big amounts of it at a time could be really bad for a person. It would be impossible to say how long it would take to recover from it. It also affects eye color, normally turning it blue" Agatha supplied.

I nodded my head in understanding.

I had discovered my eyes had become reddish. That was good; not your normal sign for the presence of mako. I also managed to recover from it; another good sign. And whatever trace of mako there was on me when I was found was probably washed away by the stream. '_Good. That should keep me out of the creep's line of sight.'_ I silently shuttered thinking about what a certain mad scientist would do to me if he found me.

"Oh, such a bright young thing!" Agatha squealed in delight.

Adjusting to living here was going to be…interesting to say the least.

* * *

...

After Ale and Agatha had finished talking and giving me food, they left me in the small room with Agatha giving me strict instructions to remain in bed.

I hated it. I wanted desperately to get up and explore my surroundings, yet my body was still feeling the effects of the mako. My newly appointed guardians didn't know that however. They thought it was just a side-effect of my mysterious sickness brought on by exposure to the elements.

My muscles ached as if I'd run a marathon.

So I was stuck in bed in what guessed I could call my new room. Now that I was fully awake and able to see properly, I found myself sitting up and staring out the little window to my right. So this was Banora? It looked exactly as it had in the game, but it wasn't as quiet and empty as before; there were still people in it.

That Idea brought me to my next train of thought: How long did I have until Banora's people were killed by Genesis and the village itself was blown to smithereens by Shinra? I had to get up and start finding out when I was in Gaia's timeline, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get back home.

The goddess had basically implied that I could get home by helping her world, right? All I had to do was go along with the task at hand. Somewhere inside of me, I was torn between uncertainty and, oddly enough, excitement.

Rather than fighting my muscles at the moment, however, I decided it was best to follow Agatha's orders; I needed to rest up in order to be able to start up. I began to stretch out my muscles despite the pain in order relieve some tension. I fully intended to be up and walking by tomorrow.

Unaware about how tired I was, I ended up quickly falling asleep despite the fact that it was still daylight out.

* * *

...

I was woken up by a strange noise with the moon hanging in the night sky.

I recognized it as the whispering I heard in the cave. Struggling at first, I managed to slide myself out of the bed and onto the floor. Using the bed frame as a support, I painstakingly pulled myself into a standing position, nearly stubbing my foot in the process against the cold stone floor; the world was a lot bigger than it should have been to me and everything just felt wrong. Taking a few steps forward, my legs wobbled slightly.

My mind was used to a different height-a different body. It would take a while for me to readjust to walking normally again.

Finding balance, I tottered a few steps over to where my clothes laid folded on a wooden stool. Reaching for my shorts, I felt a small lump in one of its pockets. Reaching my small hand in the opening, I grabbed for the small stone; I had nearly forgotten about it. It seemed as though Agatha didn't notice it either when she dried my clothes for me.

My fingers brushed across its smooth surface and I pulled it out. I once again found my hand warmed at its touch. Ever so slowly, the whispering stopped once more. I brought it closer to my eyes to study it. I concluded that it had to be materia; it was a dark-green colored, glassy looking stone about the size of a golf ball.

But why did I hear the whispering?

I was now confused as hell. I certainly wasn't an ancient, but I could find no other explanations as to why I could hear it. Was it supposed to be a sign from the planet? Shaking my head in irritation, I started making my way back towards my bed with the material still clenched tightly in my hand. I was going to keep it close by me from now on. After all, it would mean some protection in a world filled with monsters, both human and not.

I stopped short of my bed for a moment upon seeing a small, antique mirror that was mounted on the wall. I approached it and stood on the tip of my toes to see into it. Seeing my reflection, I couldn't help but be a little horrified and then irritated by what I saw.

My skin had paled from its usual fair color, probably because I had been out longer than I thought. And my hair was absolutely atrocious; it was still long, but it looked abnormally spikey as if it had been jolted by static electricity. Describing myself as a porcupine would have been an understatement.

After fully taking in my reflection, I realized something else too. Combined with my crimson eyes, I looked almost like a miniature version of Vincent Valentine.

"That won't do," I quietly groaned rubbing my eyes.

I stepped away from the mirror and returned to my bed, shoving my pillow on the top of my head. I was too tired to think of anything else at the moment. First thing in the morning though, I knew I was chopping off my hair and getting some sunlight.

* * *

...

The morning after I first woke up, Agatha had found me a black shirt that actually fit for me to wear along with the khaki shorts I had. Struggling to move, she had to help me up and even had to help me get dressed; it was embarrassing.

I had never felt so weak before.

Agatha adjusted the shirt slightly with the help of a little sewing kit to better fit my now scrawny frame. Agatha had even commented on my opinion, saying that I would have to eat more food.

Immediately after she had left the room to grab some things to remedy my crazy hair, I tied it up in a tight ponytail leaving bangs to frame my face. Rather carelessly I then grabbed a pair of scissors out of her sewing kit left on the nightstand and snipped my ponytail off. Looking in at the little mirror, I approved of my hairstyle. It was a little short and boyish, but it looked much better from the spikey mess it was before.

Let's just say that when Agatha came back she was devastated when she saw what I had done. Ale's lip only twitched in response when he poked his head in the door to see what all the fuss was about. After some more fussing and a few corrections done to my hair, Agatha took me out into town to show me around.

Out in town I didn't see anything or anyone that could tip off where I was in time; I wasn't able to much exploring to find out because "aunt" Agatha planned on keeping me on a tight schedule for the first few days to introducing me to my new surroundings. I soon discovered that Banora was a lot bigger than I thought it would've been and that it had houses spread out among the surrounding hills.

Before I knew it, almost a week had passed, my health had improved and I slowly began adjusting to my new life. I was able to walk on my own again, not having to rely on Agatha or Ale for support; I could even walk longer distances without collapsing. My body was still on its way to regaining muscle though and it would take much longer before I would be back to normal, so to speak.

The town of Banora turned out to be a quaint little place too; it was really peaceful, almost like the countryside town that I originally grew up in. Despite the humidity, the air smelled juicy and sweet, much like the apples it relied on as a profitable crop. The only thing different was the presence of palm trees and the strangely shaped, overarching Banora white apple trees; I still couldn't believe that those trees were real and that was probably the only thing keeping the homesickness at bay.

It had captured my curiosity and egged on the growing feeling of excitement in my mind.

The people I was introduced to were also as seasoned as the land; they were pleasant and nice. It was on one of the last outings Agatha took me on that I also met the mayor of Banora. He was one of Genesis' parents, but that meeting revealed nothing because of how swamped with work the mayor was. I didn't see the auburn-haired guy anywhere. The only other people I had seen were the few other adults in Banora and the small kids with who I started going to a little schoolhouse with.

That's right; Agatha dropped me into a classroom with other little kids the day after I could walk by myself. The first thought registering in my head had been how much of a joke it was; a college level student being dropped into kindergarten basically.

It was after the first day that I realized something; I had no clue how to interact with my peers who were physically the same age as me. The other children could sense it too, that I was somehow different from them. They didn't say much too me, in fact they rarely said anything at all. And I didn't mind it...at first. There was already a gap between myself and this world; it reminded me that I was an outcast, that I had another task that I needed to do.

I found that being in the classroom held little interest for me. The only subject I briefly paid attention to was geography; other than that the teacher taught relatively the same material I had learned growing up, albeit overly simple. It was easy for me to garner praise from the teacher and my guardians couldn't be happier that they had a little prodigy on their hands.

After three days of being led around and being put through school again, I was finally free; Ale and Agatha saw fit to give me some freedom with my condition having improved.

Stepping out of the little concrete schoolhouse, I fiddled with the strap of my little bag. As soon as the teacher had dismissed the class, the other children ran off, some heading home and others going off to play with each other; they wore cheerful smiles on their faces, sending shouts of goodbyes to the ones they called friends. Me however, I stood out. I lingered for a moment in the shadow of the building, merely observing the others before finally making a move.

With an excited, childish smile plastered on my face, I started heading towards a more secluded space away from the other kids playing in around the area; I wouldn't be expected back home till sunset.

It was the perfect time to try out the materia.

* * *

...

An old, abandoned factory building sat all alone on the outskirts of Banora underneath a ridge. Its brick walls looked inviting enough, and I slipped into the quiet, empty building without a second thought.

I now stood on the old wooden floors a good distance away from the entrance and closer to some old crates. Pulling out the materia and rolling it in my hands, I felt its familiar warmth spreading through my fingers. It had to be a fire materia; that would explain the warmth I felt emanating from it.

I wondered how I could get it to work.

Standing tall and holding it out in front of me, I aimed the materia at a nearby crate and focused my thoughts on it to do something.

Nothing happened.

Did I have to say something out loud?

"Um…Fire?"

All of a sudden the materia seemed to backfire, exploding in my hands. I instantly dropped it. "Shit!"

After jumping around and waving my hand around, I realized something. I couldn't feel any pain from a burn. Looking in my hand, I saw that it was completely unscathed. "Huh. I guess a materia backfiring doesn't hurt the caster…" I mumbled in conclusion.

How convenient.

Once again picking up the materia, I firmly directed it at the crate again. Concentrating, I confidently shouted out this time "Fire!" The warmth in my hand spread through my body. Then, a small fire ball seemed to appear out of nowhere, missing the crate and hitting the brick wall of the factory.

"It worked. I missed but it worked!" I cried, pumping my fists in the air. Calming down, I analyzed the wall; the fireball left behind a massive scorch mark. Absolutely no embers remained behind though, not even to burn the floor. Awed at that discovery, I raised the material again, preparing to cast again. That was when I was hit suddenly by a wave of fatigue.

My hand fidgeted a little, showing me how tired I actually was. Sighing, I lowered my hand; I wasn't fully recovered yet. Perhaps that was the reason why I suddenly felt so exhausted. The only thing left to do was to go home and come back tomorrow.

And just as I was about to turn around to leave the old building, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye.

_Snap_!

Turning my head sharply over to the crates, I could make out some sort noise that sounded like someone stepping on wood; there was something there, but the only thing I could think of was a monster. If that was the case, I was in deep trouble.

_Snap_!

Fully facing the crates, I rapidly began questioning my options. Stay and fight it and risk dying or flee from it? The noise seemed to get louder. It was coming closer and I wasn't ready to face a monster yet, not by a long shot. Shakily holding out the materia in front of me, I hastily voiced my thoughts "I guess there's not much choice." I wouldn't be able to run anyways; I still wasn't in fully recovered. It never registered in my mind that it was possible to run into monsters in the new world I was in.

I began to open my mouth, "Fi—"

"What are you doing?"

"Eeeeeep!" I flinched, jumping from my stance. Quickly regaining my composure, I glanced back over to the crates. They were pushed out of the way as a short figure emerged from behind them. In a flash, he appeared right in front of my face, covering the distance between the crates and myself in the blink of an eye.

"Is—is that a materia?" The kid said, abruptly snatching it away from my hands.

"Hey! Give it back!" I protested, reaching my hands out to grab it back from my assailant.

"How do you have this? Don't you know how dangerous it is to mess around with this? You don't even know what this is, do you?!" He said accusingly.

How wonderful. Here I was, an adult being scolded by a child. In hindsight, yes it may have been a horrible idea for me to go to an abandoned building and even worse to play with fire inside of it, but I couldn't care less. I just wanted some place to be out of sight and alone to practice magic.

I opened my mouth to retort back when I found myself focusing my eyes on the kid in front of me. Two things caused alarm bells to go off in my head: blue eyes and auburn hair.

I found myself staring up at the face of a very young Genesis Rhapsodos.

* * *

Author's Note: Sib has finally found Genesis! I've finally got the ball rolling for the story! This was a really long chapter to write and I tried to make sure that there weren't too many errors here and there. Please feel free to leave any reviews or comments to let me know how I'm doing. I'd appreciate any constructive criticism to help with my writing!


	3. Chapter 3

Edited: 8/4/15

* * *

**Chapter 3: Rough Start**

* * *

**...**

Upon the realization on who it was I was looking at, I now had a huge hint as to where I would start my planning. Judging by his appearance, Genesis wasn't even in his teens. The boy stood, only towering a foot or so above me. He wore his auburn hair in a short cut that poked out in several directions.

"Well?" He questioned impatiently.

"I do too know what it is!" I shot back after regaining my senses. "And I'm the one who found it in the first place. Now, may I please have it back?"

"No." he replied firmly.

"Excuse me?" I said in disbelief.

"You're lucky that it didn't backfire on you. Not to mention this doesn't belong in the hands of a kid, especially a brat like you." he said in a slightly condescending tone.

"Hey, what does that make you then?" I demanded accusingly, my voice becoming laced with annoyance.

"I'm eleven," he stated with a smug look, "and I'll be joining SOLDIER soon."

As if that helped his case any.

"You should run along home now, kid, before it gets dark." he said waving his hand in a shooing motion. "You should be grateful that I won't tell your family."

He then proceeded to pocket my materia.

"Aw, crap!" I muttered under my breath. I only now realized that the sun was beginning to set among the hills, casting an orange hue through the windows of the factory. Ale and Agatha would be furious with me if I didn't return home soon, and it was only my first day on my own. "Hey how would you know my family?" I then questioned skeptically. He couldn't know who I was already; I had never met him in person.

"Because you're the only little kid in this town I've had to save from drowning. You're welcome." He said with a smirk. "Now run along home, I'd hate to have to save your life twice." He stated as he turned and began walking away.

"Wha—Hey, wait a second!" I shouted to get him to come back. Genesis Rhapsodos was every bit the pompous character I expected; he was an antagonist after all. His attitude in the game showed nothing but arrogance or jealousy, getting in Zack Fair's way and causing a domino effect that would lead to the start of Final Fantasy 7...

But he was the one who rescued me?

Of all the people that could have found me, it was the young Genesis that fished me out of the water.

Bawling my hands into fists, I followed him outside of the factory and stopped at the bottom of the crumbling stone steps. The boy was already far away, showing no sign of turning around and coming back. My shoulders slumped a little before I realized something else. Calling after him I shouted as loudly as I could, "And the name's Sibyl, not kid! Mark my words, I'll get my materia back and I won't leave you alone till I do!"

I knew that my shrill voice had to have reached his ears despite how far away he was, but he disappeared out of sight leaving me alone. He was supposedly the mayor's son, so I half expected him to show some manners. On the other hand, though, I was nothing more than a small child now and I kept forgetting that. Looking up at the sky, I tool a deep breath to calm my nerves.

"At least you know when you are" I reassured myself. Doing a double take at the sky, I then started to panic. "Damn it!" I cursed as I took off running as fast as my aching muscles would allow. I quickly left behind the old factory building; at this rate, I wasn't going to get home in time.

* * *

...

I arrived in the doorway at home, out of breath and out of energy. Thankfully I had arrived with a little time to spare, despite some of the weird looks I had gotten by some of the townsfolk. The fact that I made it back in time and in one piece was a miracle in itself. From what little I knew of her personality, Agatha would have no doubt watched me like a hawk if I did anything out of line, even something so small as getting back late.

Walking through the door, I was quickly swept up by said person and sat at the table beside her helping her prepare the night's dinner. As she lightly babbled on about her day, I was quiet and let my thoughts wander. Genesis Rhapsodos said that he was eleven years old; about four years older than I was. And he also said he'd be joining SOLDIER soon.

My mind quickly raced through what options I was given. I had been placed in Banora for a reason, and perhaps that reason served as a hint from the goddess herself about what I needed to do. Following around Genesis and Angeal—if he showed up that is—was going to be my best bet at sticking to the plot and in extension locating Jenova. Staying in the peaceful little village wasn't an option.

But the matter of Jenova was something I still wasn't sure about. Death was a certainty if I went out to venture on my own, especially with the lack of skills I had; I couldn't fight and my body wasn't something I was used to yet either. I needed a way to train and build up my survival skills; a teacher in other words. Joining SOLDIER for that purpose? Out of the question. That would put me dangerously close to Hojo and I wasn't even sure that there were any female soldiers in SOLDIER.

Then a solution popped into my head.

Why not the Turks?

That actually had a possibility of working; being in the Turks would work perfectly. I would be able to work my way behind the scenes and the possibilities were limitless with what I could manipulate. The only problem I would face was becoming one of them. For that matter, I still didn't have the bare minimum of skill to even qualify for such a job.

_But_ it could work.

"What are you so happy about, Sib? Did you make any new friends at school?" Agatha cut into my thoughts.

I looked up from the cutting board in front of me and pondered her question.

"Eh?" I questioned for a moment. "Oh, uh, yeah... You could say that."

Perhaps that could be my way in.

Agatha reached for a carrot and began chopping it up as she listened to my words. One of the many things that had surprised me upon coming to this world was the fact of how many small similarities there where with earth, the food was included.

"How wonderful!" She continued, "I was beginning to worry a little." Agatha was getting rather worked up the other day about how I didn't bring home any friends at all. Was I a loner? The answer to that question was no. While I wasn't exactly a social butterfly, I did have a small handful of friends from back home. But being thrown into this situation made things different.

I was alone.

Not that it would matter. I just needed to do the task laid before me and be on my way home.

"Hey, um, Auntie?" I asked quietly.

"Yes?" Agatha seemed to perk up a little by me calling her my aunt.

"What would you say if I told you I wanted to be a Turk?"

She stopped chopping and gave me a sidelong glance. Her mood all of a sudden became colder. "I would say that you'd have to decide carefully. And it has to be for a very good reason."

"I…" I trailed off. "I'll let you know." I replied in uncertainty.

Did Agatha have something against the Turks? Or was it Shinra?

"Ok, that should be good enough Sib. I'll call you when dinner's ready," Agatha cued for me to leave. Walking away from the counter, I did just that and went to my room.

Sitting down on my bed, I pulled out a sheet of paper from a small leather bag that Ale had bought me as a welcoming gift. I started writing out a rough plan on what I would do for the next few years. I made sure that I wrote everything in Latin so it wouldn't be easily understood. Latin was the only other language I had learned from school; I had taken it for six years.

After ten minutes of thinking, I put down the pen in my hand and reviewed my work. I had ultimately decided that Genesis would be my indirect way into the Turks and now I needed to stick to him, regardless of whether he liked it or not. A lot of things did start with him after all such as Sephiroth's own descent into madness, so being by him would make things easier.

* * *

...

It had required very little effort on my part to locate Genesis' little hide out. I had figured it was around the abandoned factory building where I had been the day before and I couldn't have been more correct.

Sneaking out of class had been an easy task for me. Leaving to go to the bathroom, I slipped out the small window in a matter of seconds and ran down the road towards the factory, careful to avoid the wandering eyes of the adults. At the factory I began quietly snooping around, putting the majority of my attention on the crates he had came out from behind earlier. After some prodding and, much to my excitement, I quickly stumbled across a creepy little stone tunnel. Pushing aside a few wood palates and dusty old boxes had revealed the tunnel which was nothing more than a hole in the wall.

Covering the entrance back up behind me, I began walking through the old tunnel without a single hint of caution. Old wiring along the walls gave off some light as I went further in, but aside from that nothing else about it had peaked my interest. Soon enough, however, the narrow path gave way into a smaller room at its end. Smirking to myself I entered the room and glanced around. Other than the presence of a wooden desk and several bookshelves, there was not a soul to be seen.

"Huh. So this is Genesis' little base of operations," I said to no one.

Making a split decision, I started wandering around the room turning over everything I could find and looking in every place possible for the materia Genesis had taken from me. I couldn't hear its usual call and found it nowhere, the only thing I could see were books everywhere. Digging through several of the desk drawers, the only things I could find other than the books were other random knick-knacks.

"I suppose I'll have to wait for Genesis to come to me then." I concluded. I casually sat myself down on a pile of books. The sheer number of books in the little hide out made me realize how much of a bookworm Genesis was. It got me searching for the name of the one book he was particularly obsessed with: It was Loveless. Getting up from my seat, I began rifling through the mountains of books in attempt to find the white book. It took several minutes for me to comb through the books lying around; I had determined that half of his parent's library had to have been down there before I called it quits.

No sign of Loveless anywhere.

Shoving my wild hair back out of my face, I picked up one of the books and started reading; I decided that I might as well did something while I waited.

Soon enough I became wrapped up in the book, sitting down on the pile once more.

* * *

...

About an hour had gone by since I had sat down and started reading before I began to hear footsteps echoing off the cavern walls; they started quietly in the distance, slowly coming closer and closer. Paying it no mind, I remained sitting where I was with my nose buried in the book. I didn't bother to put it down when Genesis himself strolled into the room.

As it turned out, Gaia actually had pretty good books.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the boy casually walk into the cavern and sit down at his desk leaving me completely unnoticed. It was only when I turned the page of the book that he stopped what he was doing and slowly turned his head in my direction; he finally realized he wasn't alone. "How did you get here?" He demanded loudly with alarm written across his face.

Without missing a beat I responded, "The same way I got my materia. I found it." I flipped to the next page in the book before he strode over and took it out of my hands. "That's rude you know. That reminds me, can I have back my materia?" I said looking up and making eye contact with him.

"That's all you're here for?" He questioned back. He rubbed his forehead before sighing. "Go home, kid."

I leaned back in my makeshift seat."I don't think I will. In fact, I think I'll come back every day." I replied with a teasing smile.

"You do know that I'm the mayor's son, right? I could easil—"

"Speaking of whom, I wonder if Mr. Rhapsodos knows of this place, _Genesis_." I said with a sinister glare. Two could play at this game; he knew my name and I knew his. He had backed himself into a corner.

"You wouldn't. And I won't give you the materia either; you're not capable enough."

"Then I guess we're at an impasse." I said smartly. I stood up and snatched the book back from a now stunned Genesis.=Smirking, I sat down on the stack of books again and made myself comfortable, reopening the book to where I left off while Genesis began to frown. It was only seconds later that I could hear more footsteps and another boy entered the hideout.

"Genesis, is everything alright down here?"

I looked up past Genesis to see another boy about his age who had similar blue eyes standing in the entrance; I quickly recognized him as the other boy who was there the day I was rescued. Who else could the boy be but Angeal? Oddly enough, he was in the group of older kids at the schoolhouse and I never realized it; he looked a lot different from his older counterpart with his hair kept almost as short as Genesis'.

Angeal began looking around the room until his wandering gaze met mine. "If I didn't hear the voice, I would've thought you were arguing with an adult," he then said with a chuckle breaking his serious demeanor. "So this is where you walked off to? What a small world."

"Well, I had some business to take care of." I responded jokingly.

"Really," Angeal commented with a smile sending a questioning glance at Genesis.

"Look, brat, I saved your life, can't we call it even and you leave me alone?" Genesis said, not bothering to hide his frustration. His best friend was making too light of the situation, and that probably wasn't helping him at all.

"Actually, I think it's even more reason for me to stay. Can't be too far away from my protector right?" I then thought for a moment. "Hey, I've been demoted!" I stood up pointing my finger accusingly at Genesis; he called me brat instead of kid.

He bent down to my eye level and smirked. "Get used to it." He said challengingly. I scrunched my nose at his reaction; Genesis had certainly smoothed over his emotions in a short amount of time which was something I hadn't expected...Weird. I noticed that he also hadn't thrown a loveless quote at me yet. Even weirder.

Angeal started laughing.

"Whatever," I retorted. "Just so you know, this can all be over if you just hand me the materia" I pointed out.

"Might have to wait a while then." Genesis responded, turning away from me to face Angeal. "Hey Angeal, let's go spar. Shall we?" He said motioning to leave. Angeal gave a slight nod in response after regaining his composure. I looked up at the two boys curiously, lowering the book in my hands. They were already able to fight at such a young age? I supposed that did make sense.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to see the two boys spar, I got up from my seat with the book in hand and quietly followed them out. Snickering to myself silently I decided it would be entertaining for a while to watch them. I didn't have much of a clue how else to spend my time, especially since Genesis had stolen the materia, so why not?

And it wouldn't hurt to observe the fighting style of a probable enemy.

* * *

...

It was kind of funny how things turned out after that.

Every day for me became a monotonous pattern; going to the school house and then following around Genesis and Angeal afterwards. I frequently watched them, constantly losing myself in my own thoughts about home and my uncertainty of the future. Eventually focusing myself, I turned to reading more and more of the books Genesis had in an attempt to learn more about Gaia too. And before I knew it the weeks began to pass me by, quickly turning into months.

Aside from speaking with my caretakers and dealing with the two future 1st class SOLDIERs, that was about the extent of my interactions with the people on Gaia. I felt like I was closed off from most everybody else around me. It was if they could tell right at the beginning that something was wrong with me; perhaps it was the eyes that made them uncomfortable? Whatever it was, I found that even the ones I went to school with treated me almost as if I didn't exist; the other children my age. It was amusing at first, but after that I began to throw it right back at them.

I'll admit it was a little lonely.

Genesis and Angeal though, they were different.

They didn't pay me much mind in the beginning, but it was Angeal who started to break the ice. It was probably one of the times when I was watching them sparring that Angeal had asked me if I wanted to try it out. He had tossed the wooden sword he had into my hands and gave me a grin. Genesis though was less amused however; in only seconds he had knocked the sword out of my hands. But after that things started to get better.

They began talking to me more after that, even Genesis. Despite the occasional dispute we had, the two of us started getting along well enough. The two boys even got used to the fact that I didn't talk like a normal seven year old should have. It was…It made me feel happy. They didn't judge me as much. If either of them did notice anything different about me, they didn't say it.

That was probably one of the reasons why I found myself liking them.

But every time I saw them, however, I was constantly reminded of the future. They were going to join SOLDIER, and probably soon; with the talent they had in swordsmanship it wasn't hard to tell. Even their mentor praised them highly for it. The only thing I could do though was to watch them and try to piece together as much information as I could. The books were the only things I could rely on for help so far, but I knew that eventually I would need more; I needed a weapon of some sort or a way to fight.

And then came one day that I discovered a book that I hadn't seen before, one that was in the underground hideout.

* * *

...

Brushing through the pages of the book, my eyes scanned carefully over every word.

I had been studying the book for a day now, taking it down chapter by chapter and keeping it out of sight from Ale and Agatha.

There was a lot that I knew about materia and then there was a lot that I didn't know. There were many different kinds of course, ranging from elemental spells to summoning. The book itself had gone into a little more detail on how materia functioned; something that was never mentioned in the game. That was when I started to realize how dangerous materia acutally was. The book talked about how spells could backfire, able to cause harm to the user if not cast properly.

And it was when I read about that section in particular that I was reminded of the first time I used materia.

Putting the book down for a moment, I held up my hands to my face in contemplation. The materia that day did backfire on me, but I had gotten lucky and didn't receive any sort of burn. Studying my right hand, acting as if a scar would suddenly appear; there was nothing though. It was something that, the more I thought about it, the more it baffled me.

Why hadn't it hurt me?

It was that and then the warm, tingly sensation that had flooded my arm when I used it that began bothering me even more. Did I simply not know enough to understand it at all?

"What's got you so thrown off?" Genesis asked, his voice breaking through the silence. I glanced up at him; he sat at his desk with another book in his hands.

"Well," I began. "nothing important really. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"You already did, but go on."

"How does materia feel to you when you use it? You have used it before, right?"

"Of course I have," He snapped. "My parents didn't spend a lot of money on a teacher for nothing. As for how it feels, there's not much to say. You feel a slight connection with it in your head, nothing else. Why did you want to know?" He said suspiciously eyeing the book in my hands.

"Oh," I shrugged, "I just wanted to know if materia felt the same for everybody when they use it."

Obviously it did not.

Shutting the book I set it aside; my head was hurting enough for that day. I sat there in silence before I realized that Genesis had gone silent and had returned to reading the book in front of him. Getting up, I walked beside his desk and stood on my toes to see over his arm; the book in his hands looked old and was falling apart. Judging by that I could tell it went through a lot of use.

"So what are you reading?" I asked out of curiosity.

"It's poetry." He responded simply.

"Is there one that's your favorite?"

At my question, a genuine smile graced the boy's lips.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess. We seek it thus, and take to the skies." He read aloud.

I took a step back from the desk and went silent.

"It's called Loveless" he supplied before continuing to read quietly.

Why did I even ask that question in the first place?

So that was the infamous poem? From back home I could only remember a few of the lines. I was really caught off guard that the book itself wasn't the familiar white, well-kept book he had in Crisis Core. But those words he said…Thinking back on it that was what a voice in my dream had said. Could I maybe find answers in that poem?

I looked again to Genesis and was about to ask him more questions. I stopped myself short, however, and decided to leave him be. I had bothered him enough already. Sighing, I turned around and for the first time ever I left early to go home.

Home.

It had been so long since I last thought about it, months even. Hearing that one line easily brought back the memories I shoved into the back of my mind. I had gotten sidetracked from hanging around the two boys so much that I was starting to forget why I was where I was: I had a task to do, my family and friend to return of this would mean anything anyways, not when it would distract me from my way home.

On my way out of the tunnel into the factory, I passed by Angeal who was on his way in. I simply nodded my head in acknowledgement as his presence as I continued walking. "Did Genesis finally give you back the materia?" He teased lightly as I brushed past him. I stopped and glanced at him with a half-hearted smile. He had known about the materia incident; Genesis had apparently told him about it right after it happened.

"No, I just didn't feel like bothering him today…" I trailed off. "Ah, sorry. I'm a little spaced out right now. I'll see ya later, Angeal." I said as I began to walk away once more.

"You know, you couldn't have annoyed G that much. He's got the shortest fuse that I know of."

I turned back and looked at Angeal with an eyebrow raised.

Seeing that he continued, "Look, what I'm trying to say is if you have any problems, you can count on us. I have your back and even if it may not seem like it at times, Genesis does too."

"Oh. Thanks Angeal," I gave a slight smile, "although, I think I just need to sort out my thought right now, that's all." I then waved goodbye and we both went our separate ways.

* * *

...

I ended up taking a detour home and walked around for a bit underneath the cover of the dumbapple trees to clear my head. They had finally chosen a day to bloom and it was such a pretty sight to behold with all the petals flittering down around me. I began to let my mind wander about materia and about what I had planned for the future before thinking of home again.

I wondered if my folks back home missed me or if they thought I was dead. I even thought about some of my friends; Emma was probably worried out of her wits about me, something that was in her personality. I imagined that fall classes were about to start up soon too. I was really going to be far behind when I returned—if I would be able to return.

How would I be able to explain my appearance?

I leaned up against one of the trees. Things were really confusing here with random information being thrown at me left and right. Don't get me wrong, I was in my own way excited about being in this strange world, but I still felt a little like I was stumbling around in the dark.

I then spoke quietly to myself, "I hope you guys know I'm fine, I'm ok. I might be a while before I can see you again, but everything is ok."

I really needed to quit stressing about what was out of my control. I knew I would need to be here for years; that had to at least explain why I was the age I was. Maybe I would return after I turned twenty again? I wasn't sure, but I certainly knew that there was no way this planet's problems could be solved in a day. I just needed to focus and take things head on.

After waiting a few more seconds, I stood up straight and began walking home.

I would take whatever this world had to throw at me.

* * *

Author's note: Alright, another chapter is up. I feel like this chapter might have seemed a little fast paced but It was necessary for some sort of time lapse. It's not really the main setting of the story just yet, but it will get there soon and I'm thinking after the next chapter. Feel free to leave a review!


	4. Chapter 4

_Edited: 8-30-15_

**Chapter 4: All Because of A Book**

* * *

Back home, I was never one to be a thief.

Come to think of it, I probably could've been labeled a goody-two-shoes by most of the people I met.

I was known as that one girl on the hockey team, the one who played for the symphony, the one who didn't talk as much as the rest. I wasn't known in any other crazy way. I never bothered to lie to most people; never went out to any college parties to get hammered; never argued against my parents; always said please and thank you; et cetera.

I always minded my own business and stuck to my own schedule like clockwork, finishing up my homework on time and studying diligently.

One could even say that I was a boring person, though I didn't consider myself one.

It wasn't because I was a stickler for rules or anything. No, it was simply because I didn't care to deal much with other people; I actually considered it to be a part of the lazy aspect of my personality. It was because of that that I garnered a lot of respect from my parents, my friends, and even my professors. Heck, me and my brother even got along and he was almost the complete opposite of what I was.

How did I pass most of my time?

When I wasn't practicing with the team or playing the cello, I simply stuck to whatever it was that I loved doing; reading, cooking, and anything outside of hockey and symphony that practically involved staying away from other people.

"You need to get out and socialize more." My mother always chided.

Needless to say that that changed when I got thrown out of my own familiar surroundings.

* * *

**...**

"What is that?" Angeal questioned suspiciously, peering down at me.

"Oh, this?" I asked holding up the object in question. "It's Genesis' book." I said casually.

A few more days had gone by before I had decided to focus on a new target; I wanted to get my hands on Genesis' poetry book. I originally tried finding the book for it in Banora, but with no such luck. Genesis was the only one who owned a book with the Loveless poem in it and I highly doubted he would lend it to me.

I needed to read that poem at least once so that I could see if it held any answers or clues as to what I should be doing. After all, it was mentioned in the vision I had so it had to contain at least some answers.

The best thing though was the fact that I had just found it sitting on top of his desk in the underground one late afternoon with Genesis nowhere in sight. That's how I found myself sitting outside the schoolhouse the next day reading it before Angeal approached me.

Angeal's blue eyes widened as a shocked expression appeared on his face.

"Hold on, where's your sense of dignity?" Angeal said looking down at me with a frown slowly forming on his face. I looked at him curiously. What was he implying?

He continued, "You don't just take things—."

"Look Angeal, I'm gonna stop you right there." I closed the book and stood up. "Save that speech for someone else, like Genesis or, I don't know, a future student of yours." I hinted. I did not want to listen to an early version of Angeal's honor speech. "And I didn't steal it, you know. It was sitting on his desk and I just happened to pick it up." I said waving the book in his face.

"He was looking for it this morning." He paused. "Actually, he still is. I think you should return it as soon as possible, you don't know how much he loves that book." Angeal replied quietly.

I'm pretty sure I did have an idea though.

"Can I at least finish reading this one poem?" I questioned. "It took me forever to find it." I had in fact finally found the loveless poem mixed into the book a few seconds before Angeal walked over. It took forever to find because there wasn't a table of contents. That and I didn't have proper lighting to find it last night at home.

"Which one?" Angeal questioned bending over my shoulder. Seeing what page I was on he groaned.

"Loveless? Oh, not you too." He muttered.

"What?" I snapped back, "I only want to see what it's about!"

Angeal threw his hands up in defeat. "Sorry, didn't mean to offend you, geeze. And just so you know I don't think it won't take long for G to narrow down where the book went."

"I guess that means I should go somewhere he wouldn't easily find me then. Thanks for the tip, Angeal!" I said with a huge grin on my face.

"Wai—you know what, never mind. You're on your own for now. I've got to get going, my father is taking me with him to Mideel." Angeal knew he wouldn't be able to persuade me to return the book anytime soon. He turned and started walking away.

"Angeal, you need to work on your persuasive skills!" I taunted jokingly behind him. He still was a little different from his older self, I still hadn't gotten used to it. Genesis on the other hand, judging by the panicked look on Angeal's face, was still a crazy Loveless fan.

Taking my eyes off of Angeal, I turned back to the situation at hand. I needed all the time I could get to analyze the poem. "Now, where to hide?" I wondered out loud looking around. Slowly my eyes settled on a group of kids from school; they were making their way closer to the apple fields like they usually did after class.

"Perfect!" I decided. Genesis knew me well enough that he'd never think to look for me with the other kids. I started off towards them.

* * *

...

December weather in Banora was nice. Instead of the suffocating humidity that normally clouded the air, it was replaced by a pleasant, soft breeze. The air itself was now warm instead of hot, and it was very...relaxing. I actually found myself enjoying it and ignored how strange the weather actually was on Gaia; it wasn't snowy or cold like it was back home.

That was probably one of the main reasons I was still outside.

Well, aside from hiding from Genesis while I read his book.

I had followed my classmates across and out of the small town into the fields that were lined with countless apple trees and tall green grass underfoot. In the distance, the field was bordered by lush looking forest of palm trees that rustled with the wind.

It looked peaceful enough, but as soon as I set foot into the fields I started getting this strange feeling. I shook it off thinking that I was nervousness from being around the other children; they always looked at me as if I was diseased and that bothered me a lot. Normally being around little children came easy to me compared to being with people my own age, but here it was the opposite.

After only a few minutes, the small group found there way to the edge of the field without noticing me tailing behind them in the shade of the dumbapple trees. At first I was a bit surprised at how far off the drifted into the fields. The kids were actually only a few feet away from the woods which should've been something they'd be warned away from; I knew that because Ale always told me to stay away from the woods because of the risk of monsters. That and it was common sense, but then again, little kids didn't have that.

'_Fine by me_' I shrugged.

Looking around, I found the perfect spot to hide away. I quietly made my way over to a regular tree and mounted myself on the lower branch. As soon as I positioned myself up higher, I analyzed my surroundings; from where I sat, I had a good view of the field which could easily allow me to see if Genesis was approaching.

With that in mind and after doing one last scan of the area, I removed the book from my bag and stuck my nose in the book and began reading.

"_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end _

_The goddess descends from the sky _

_Wings of light and dark spread afar _

_She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting _

_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess _

_We seek it thus, and take to the sky _

_Ripples form on the water's surface _

_The wandering soul knows no rest._"

I lifted my eyes away from the book to take a break.

I was starting to remember it now. It was a poem about three friends and their journey to finding something called the gift of the Goddess. That was what Genesis had tried to recreate; he wanted to find the gift of the goddess that way to solve his degradation and ended up causing a domino effect which would eventually lead to the start of the Final Fantasy 7 game.

I closed the book and thought for a moment more.

Why had I heard this in my dream?

How was it even relevant?

I sighed and jumped down from the branch. I didn't feel like reading the poem anymore; it was obviously a dead end and it was giving me too many questions to add to my already indefinitely long list. That's what I got for being a bookworm, I ended up reading too much into one thing and wasted my time without finding anything useful.

Tucking the book into my small bag, I stretched out my back, hearing loud crackling in the process. I sent a glance over at the other kids; they hadn't noticed my presence yet and were still playing among themselves. That was good. They didn't need to run off and tell anyone where I was, especially Genesis. I still needed time to think of my next move.

Sitting around in Banora obviously wasn't helping me.

I decided that the first thing to do would be to return the book; it was pretty fragile looking and I didn't want to be responsible if anything happened to it.

The sun was still hanging high in the sky when I began walking back the way I came. That was when I felt the strange feeling from earlier; this knotted feeling in the pit of my stomach as if someone was watching me. I sent another glance back behind me towards the kids. No one was looking, everything seemed normal. Just as I turned to head back into town, however, something caught my eye.

Turning my head sharply towards the edge of the woods, I saw something-something huge.

Stopping, I gawked in disbelief; I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A green mass of writhing tentacles, and it was making its way towards my classmates.

It looked like... a malboro!

"Shit!" I cursed.

My mind began racing; the situation was bad and the kids that I had followed were now in harms way.

What would happen to them?

What could I do?

I began looking back and forth frantically trying to figure out the best course of action. They were standing there still unaware of the danger. I had the option of trying to find someone to help, but I knew that I wouldn't be fast enough; I knew that those kids would be doomed if I ran away. Making a split decision, I bolted through the field towards them. Even though I didn't know them well enough, I wasn't about to stand by and let something horrible happen; not when I could prevent it.

The grass chaffed against the exposed skin on my legs as I charged down towards the wood line.

"Hey! Get out of here, hurry!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, waving my arms frantically at the kids. They turned to me and looked at me strangely. Within seconds I made it to them, which surprised me because I was never much of a runner before. One of the older kids stepped forward looking down at me suspiciously.

"Why should we, kid?" he asked rudely.

Did they really not see it?

I wanted to roll my eyes at the moment but decided it wasn't the time or place for it.

"That's why!" I shouted pointing towards the woods.

All of them mindlessly turned and looked where I was pointing. The malboro finally emerged from the trees and was now out in the open; it had to be at least ten feet tall, and that to a little kid was massive.

One of the younger children let out a small squeak from their mouth. That caused me to refocus my attention, drawing my gaze back on the older boy. He and the others stood perfectly still as if petrified.

With that small noise, however, the malboro's attention was drawn and it turned its eyeless face in our direction.

"Don't just stand there, move!" I commanded.

Breaking out of their stupor, the kids began panicking and running; they didn't seem to think of it odd to follow the commands of a strange little girl they avoided like the plague at the moment, especially not when a hulking monster was heading their way. I was about to flee with them when I realized that some of the younger kids were rooted in place with fear.

There was no time left.

The malboro was now only a few feet away from them.

Not thinking twice, I ran towards the monster and shouted at it.

"Hey, over here!"

In the back of my mind, I needed to draw the monster away from the younger kids; I realized that they weren't going to move any time soon.

"Come on ya dumb mass of tentacles!"I shouted again, but the malboro didn't seem interested in me. Why was that? With no other options left, that was when I stooped over and picked up a rock beside me, hurling it at the malboro's head.

Big mistake.

As if finally realizing my presence, the malboro snapped its attention in my direction, letting loose an ear splitting howl as the rock landed back on the ground. Judging by the way it was moving, I had provoked it into a frenzy. The malboro started rapidly making its way over to me, having forgotten of other motionless kids. In the blink of an eye, I quickly realized that I was definitely able to see its razor sharp teeth now.

"Crap! It was only a rock!" I shouted in a slight panic.

It was too late to take it back though; the stone had already been thrown.

I looked around and thinking quickly, I darted into the woods as fast as my legs would allow with the malboro tailing hot on my heels. I would have a better chance at getting away from a frenzied monster if I had cover; the malboro after all was about the size of a small shed which would slow it down when moving through the trees.

"Gotta think!" I ordered myself hastily pushing my hair out of my face as my feet pattered against the exposed ground; my surroundings had changed and in no time flat I had darted further into the woods and away from the apple field.

I began weaving in between the trees, trying to shake the malboro but with no such luck. Wherever I turned, it followed, most likely relying on scent and hearing to guide it. I was small and quick, but that wouldn't be enough to shake it, especially when I felt like my feet were thundering against the ground. I had no more options left and I couldn't think of a way out of this situation.

I had no weapons, no armor, nothing.

My scrawny little kid body would snap like a twig in an instant if the malboro launched one attack at me. The only thing I could do was keep running and pray to the goddess that I would shake it or it would get bored and stop.

"If only I had my materia!" I scolded myself as I ducked underneath a low branch.

'_Malboros are weak to fire, right?'_

With that thought, I felt a familiar sensation. My right arm seemed to tingle with warmth like it had when I held the materia.

'_What…'_

Before I could do anything else, I realized my hair had found its way back into my face and I tripped over a root. Dropping my bag in the process, I sprang straight back up and hurled myself out of the way with only seconds to spare as the malboro let out a bad breath attack.

I watched in fear for a few seconds as a green smog cascaded out of the monster's mouth, quickly spilling to the ground and wrapping around the trees. Poison, and lots of it, spread in the area I was just in, that was how I knew I had got lucky with that move.

There was no way for me to be able to defend myself against a physical attack other than dodging, and even then I wasn't fast enough to keep dodging forever.

The malboro was about to attack again and I backed up. I found myself bumping against a tree. I was cornered now. Looking to my sides, the malboro would've been able to cut me off.

Was this how I would die?

I still felt my hand tingling. With nothing else to do, I closed my eyes and without thinking, I held out my hand and shouted the first word that came to my mind: "Fire!"

The first thing I felt was warmth.

Simultaneously opening my eyes back up, I watched small flames erupt into being on the malboro.

It backed off, letting off another inhuman howl. Not wasting anytime to comprehend what happened I took the opening and ran for it, ducking for cover behind some thicker trees. Not a split second later, another voice rang out: "Fire!"

I watched as more fire burst into life. The malboro emitted a painful howl as an even greater flame spawned to replace the last one. Realizing that another person had shown up, the malboro began to retreat. It was outnumbered, that or it lost interest.

I watched its figure retreat deeper into the woods as I bent over, sighing in relief. My heart was still pounding through my chest as I struggled to calm myself down.

I had no idea what had just happened.

The main thing that I was pretty sure of was that I had conjured the flames. There was no doubt about it; that warm tingly feeling in my arm.

But someone else had also come to my rescue.

Being reminded that I wasn't alone anymore, I raised my head up from the ground to look for my rescuer. I quickly spotted Genesis as he emerged from behind the trees. In his hand he was twirling around a materia-my materia.

I stood up straight, but before I could say anything to him, Genesis beat me to the punch.

"What were you thinking!" He shouted.

"I—" I began to say, but Genesis silenced me with his hand. He glared at and that was when I realized how red his face had become. Involuntarily, I found myself shrinking back at his expression; he was definitely angry right now. With the look in his eyes, I almost forgot that he was still a kid and for a second I thought I saw the real Genesis in front of me-the one that drove Sephiroth into madness.

"Do you know how stupid this was?! You could have been killed!" He continued.

"I..." I mumbled out again trying to find words to say.

Genesis was...concerned for me?

Shaking my head, I finally spoke. "I saw it coming towards them. I didn't want the other kids to get hurt."

I lowered my head to the ground, looking away from him; I finally realized how stupid I had acted. I could have easily been killed and then I would've never gotten home and the world would still be thrown into turmoil.

Genesis sighed.

I looked up to see him rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Look, leave the hero work to someone else, ok?" he said in a lighter tone.

"Ok" I replied tilting my head down. My hair fell into my face again and I began fiddling with the lose strands, attempting to tuck them out of the way.

After a moment of silence, Genesis spoke up.

"Here"

I glanced up through my messy hair to see him holding out a long red ribbon and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

He looked at my expression and rolled his eyes.

"Maybe if you used this to get the hair out of your face you'd run into trouble less often." He said sarcastically.

My face flushed red in embarrassment; he was right. I was always pushing my hair out of my face and I almost died because of it today; there was no way I would refuse such a gift.

I tentatively reached out, taking the soft ribbon in my hands; the material it was woven with was thick and textured, ensuring that it wouldn't easily slip. Pushing my hair aside, I secured the ribbon around my head, fashioning it like a hairband with the ends hanging a little past my shoulder.

Sure enough, my vision was clearer.

I blinked and looked around, admiring the difference that it made; I never realized just how much my hair had been in my face. I finally looked back at Genesis and smiled.

"Thank you." I said sincerely.

At that moment, I probably started to realize...how much I came to see Genesis as my friend.

Not only him, but Angeal as well.

"Hey," I then asked breaking away from my thoughts, "how did you know where to find me?"

"It wasn't too hard considering the trail of wreckage and screaming kids you left in your wake." He sneered.

"Well, you're welcome," I muttered back in sarcasm.

"Now that that's over with, have you seen by book?" Genesis questioned.

Crap.

I had dropped my bag when the malboro unleashed its breath attack.

Turning around, I ran past Genesis and back over to my bag were it lay on the ground. It looked a little ruffled up, but intact. Grabbing the straps, I then realized how brittle the bag felt. That was when worry started to form in my stomach.

Not hesitating, I flipped open the bag and pushed aside the other books and items in search of the aged, old poetry book. My heart dropped when I finally found it; carefully scooping it up, I brought it out of the back only to see pages fall out from it.

Gathering them up, I quickly realized that the pages that had fallen out were those of Loveless. Much to my dismay, only a small bit of it was readable: "_The arrow has left the bow of the Goddess"_

It seemed that the bad breath attack had taken its toll on the old book, causing the ink to fade drastically and it's pages to wither.

I reluctantly turned around and held it out in front of me, watching as Genesis' face went blank.

"Um, Genesis?" I said with uncertainty.

"It's fine." He said in a low voice. He reached out and took the destroyed book from my hands, almost cradling it in his own.

"I—"

"Let's get back to town. Your aunt and uncle are probably worried." Genesis interrupted.

Not waiting for my response, he immediately turned to walk back the way he came.

Looking at how he reacted, obviously it wasn't fine. I felt really horrible; I had been nothing but a bother to Genesis, had blackmailed him, and even intruded in his hideout. Now I could add that I taken something precious to him and destroyed it in the process to my long list of grievances against him. Sure, we argued sometimes, but he did save my sorry hide twice.

I owed him a lot.

And I would make it up to him, somehow.

Picking up my bag, I quietly followed Genesis out of the woods and back to Banora. Not one word was spoken the entire time.

* * *

...

Night had fallen and I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling. Earlier I had received one of the worst scoldings I'd ever had. Agatha was furious at me and was even crying while Ale just had a scowl etched in his face. Apparently word got around fast about the incident when the little kids started running back from the field.

I got up and walked over to the small mirror on the wall and pulled up a stool. I looked at the ribbon in my hair and couldn't help but think about the entire day.

I had created such a big mess, all because of one little book.

Genesis probably hated me for it.

Then again, what would have happened if I hadn't been there? Would those other kids have died?

And...

What would've happened to me if Genesis didn't find me?

I shuddered a little, already knowing what the answer to that question was. Being put in danger had opened up my eyes; I needed to get stronger, otherwise there was no way that I could face off against Jenova and come out victorious.

The only thing that helped keep me alive today was…Magic?

I blinked at that thought. I got of the stool and studied my hand; How was it that I had been able to do that earlier?

It didn't make sense.

I clenched my hand into a fist and glanced at a small candlestick on my nightstand. I reached over and placed it in the middle of the stone floor of my room. Raising my hand, I focused on the wick of the candle. Taking a deep breath in and out, I steadied myself as warmth seemed to spread into my hand again.

"Fire" I whispered.

In response to my words, the candlestick seemed to spontaneously ignite into a ball of flame.

I shrank back.

"No way" I uttered out in disbelief staring at the once unlit candle. I then realized something else; the candle was fully engulfed in a huge flame and burning the floor. Without thinking I snatched it up and threw it in a little wash basin, extinguishing it.

I looked at my hand; it didn't get burned at all.

All of the times that I had played Final Fantasy 7, I had never once heard of a character being able to use magic without a materia. And yet, here I was standing in the middle of the room, able to set a candle on fire with only a single word. Not only that, but the flame didn't even bother me one bit.

What exactly did that mean for me?

No...

What exactly was I?

Turning my head back towards the mirror, a green glint caught my eye; a glint that was much the same as the one that caused me to fall into the stream. Immediately I noticed my eyes and recoiled: Their crimson color had become more of a dark green. I watched them for a while as they seemed return back to their normal color.

What _did_ this mean?

I groaned, rubbing my forehead.

With all that had happened today, I was ready to call it quits. The day had gotten far too complicated for my tastes and I just needed sleep.

Trudging over to the side of my bed, I threw myself down onto the sheets and didn't bother taking off the crimson ribbon that now sat on the top of my head.

* * *

**Extra:**

(Flashback)

As soon as Sibyl left the factory, Angeal went down the tunnel to the hideout to find Genesis.

"Hey, did you say anything to Sib?" He asked; Angeal had been rather confused at how she had acted. Rather than giving him one of her normal, energetic greetings, she merely nodded her head instead. It was out of character for the girl.

"No, not at all" Genesis replied still at his desk reading his book. "The brat left on her own accord."

"She seemed kind of sad." Angeal replied thoughtfully as he leaned against the wall near the entrance.

"And what do you suggest we do about it? I don't know about you, but I'm not great with little kids, especially one that acts like her." Genesis stated before snapping his book shut, placing it in his coat pocket. He turned to look at Angeal, waiting for him to answer.

"How about getting her a gift?" Angeal asked. Genesis just stared back with a skeptical look on his face. Angeal continued, "How about a ribbon? I'm pretty sure that all girls like those."

"You mean I should buy it."

"Well, I don't have that much gil…" Angeal said sheepishly.

"Fine. It is annoying how her hair keeps going in her face. It's a mess."

"Don't let her hear you saying that, she might get really mad." Angeal laughed.

Genesis just rolled his eyes and smirked. "Want to spar?"

"Sure."

"Hey, your dad's taking you to get you your sword soon, right?"

"Yeah, we're leaving next week to go to Mideel. I don't even know how we could afford it, but father insisted on it as being a gift for entering SOLDIER."

"We only have, what now, a month or two left before we leave, right?" Genesis said.

Angeal nodded. "I wonder how Sib will react when we tell her."

"Hmph" Genesis chuckled.

"What?" Angeal responded.

His friend said nothing in response.

"Have you ever considered that we're the only friends she's got?" Angeal pointed out.

Genesis stopped at that.

Sibyl was an unusual girl and as such it wasn't hard for Genesis and Angeal to realize just how much of an outcast she was to other children her own age. She was practically drawn to them, and even started acting comfortable around the two, letting them get to know her better. What they had quickly come to realize was that behind the façade of a little girl was someone who was undeniably mature beyond her years.

It was probably one of the few reasons Genesis himself had come to be accepting of her; he never had a fondness for any other kids in the town...well, except for Angeal of course. Sure he had argued with her on and off, but perhaps he had come to think of her as a friend.

"I suppose you're right." He responded.

* * *

...

Author's note: well, here is the next chapter. I apologize if it's a little crappy and rushed in some areas, but it should be okay over all. I even decided to include a little extra at the end for fun. As usual, feel free to leave a review.

Author's note 8-30-15: I finally went back to this chapter and added more to it. I didn't realize how lacking it was in some detail and decided to add more to better flesh out Sib's character. I'm making slow progress with reediting these chapters, but it has to be done.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Acceptance**

* * *

**...**

Sleep never came to me that night. My thoughts had robbed me of any peace and quiet that I craved and I was left phasing in and out of short lived moments of sleep. Eventually I gave up on trying and just laid there watching as the sunlight gradually began to filter through my window. Begrudgingly I made my way out of my bed and got dressed with my limbs sluggishly heeding my commands. The headache I had from the previous night hadn't subsided at all; in fact it seemed to feel worse.

I walked into the main room, quietly shutting my bedroom door behind me. Ale was reading a newspaper while Agatha was in the kitchen putting away dishes. I watched them for a moment before deciding to make my presence known.

With my feet padding along the stone floor, I pulled up a chair at the kitchen table and sat down. Agatha acknowledged me briefly, giving a warm smile before turning back to her task and began making breakfast.

Mindlessly, I watched the meticulous movement of her hands as my thoughts began to race again. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't help but think back to the day before; I had come so close to dying and so close to never getting home. In the process I had also discovered some freak ability and possibly crippled one of the very few relationships I had here on Gaia. Where could I begin with that information?

Too many things had happened at once and it was all making my head hurt more than ever. On top of that, I still hadn't figured out a solid strategy for whatever the planet wanted me to do; while I had an idea, I didn't really know how to start.

The thoughts wouldn't stop. Unconsciously, my lips started to turn into a frown and one of my hands made it to my forehead in attempt to rub the pain away. At this rate, I was ready to throw in the towel; I wanted out of this and wanted to return to reality.

"You look like you haven't slept in a while Sibyl. Do you feel sick?"

I glanced up to see Ale's concerned face lifted from the newspaper. I blinked back, with my mind slowly registering the question he asked me.

"No," I said thoughtfully, "I just…have a lot on my mind right now, that's all." I rested my head on the edge of the table. I couldn't help but feel a little lost right now; any way I looked at it, there was definitely no way out of any of this. I sighed.

I watched as Ale cracked a small, joking smile. "Now wait a minute," he began, "You're too young to have a lot on your mind!"

I raised my eyebrow at him; he was actually smiling? Something was definitely wrong with that picture.

"Well, I just have so much to do, but I don't know where to start or even how to," I said honestly to him, sinking lower into the chair. '_Oh to run my head into a wall right now,_' I silently loathed.

"Look," Ale said placing the newspaper down, "I don't know what kind of business a kid like you could possibly have to do, but don't get ahead of yourself with things. You gotta learn to take on things one at a time."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Agatha lean her head towards our direction as we spoke. Soon, she made her way into the conversation, "Perhaps you should just focus on the things at hand right now; everything comes in due time." She turned back to the stove. "No need to waste a day mucking around in your thoughts when you should be living."

"Huh," I responded. Taking a moment to let their words sink in, I hadn't realized how much my thoughts had been preoccupied all this time; especially with thoughts of home. Since the beginning I had all of my thoughts wound up and focused mainly on one thing: Finding and completing what the planet wanted me to do and getting home. I wasn't really living my life right now like that, was I?

My thoughts flickered back to my meeting with the Goddess.

'_To find the answer to all of your questions, live this life. Learn to belong here.' _Her words now echoed through my mind_ 'You will know what to do.'_

I sat up a little in my chair, resting my hand on my chin. Maybe I was going about things the wrong way to begin with. Maybe…I would have to let go of home for a little while in order to find my way back. Maybe I really did need to put my focus on the world around me. Was that it?

I let out a long yawn and my eyes were feeling as droopy as ever. Clearly this day would be going nowhere for me, at least not until I got some sleep.

"Hey, Auntie, Uncle," I said as I slowly got up from my chair, "I…don't feel like eating anything. I'm gonna go back to bed."

"Okay, dearie. You'll probably feel better after the tiredness is gone from your eyes." Agatha said pulling out some dishes. "Are you sure you don't want any food first?"

I shook my head as I started back towards my room. Not caring about what I was wearing, I fell flat on my bed and proceeded to block the sun out with my pillow. Adjusting myself to a comfortable position, I finally felt my consciousness drift off into a deep sleep.

* * *

...

I was standing in the middle of a grass field. Looking up, the sky and the land seemed to expand into vast nothingness. I was dreaming again.

I slowly scanned the area with my eyes, searching for the Goddess. Surely she had to be there, just like the first two times. But, much to my surprise, there was nothing. Nobody. I stood there in silence all alone, feeling a gentle breeze graze my skin. Maybe it was just a dream; an empty one at that. At least I seemed to have the quiet that I wanted.

Taking a step forward, I suddenly heard a voice behind me. The air flickered and in a split second, I found myself staring wide-eyed at the two people that appeared in front of me. I felt tears forming in my eyes; my mom and dad stood before me, looking exactly as they had when I had last seen them.

I found myself in a full out sprint towards them before I found myself in a tight embrace between the two of them. In that moment, I felt an immense sense of relief. In shock, I also realized that my height had returned to normal; I was my old self again.

Pulling myself out of the hug, I glanced up at my parents. I was speechless and found myself choking back tears.

"Sib? Sib, you need to stop crying." My mother spoke gently caressing my hair.

"But… I thought I was never going to see you guys again," I sobbed.

Then one thought made it into my mind: This was only a dream, and just that. The tears stopped falling and were slowly being replaced by bitterness.

My father then stepped in. "Sib," he said placing a hand on my shoulder, "Even though this may be a dream, you need to remember one thing." Gently he tipped my chin up so that my watery eyes met his deep brown ones. "You should know that even though you cannot see us, no matter where you are, we are always beside you."

Within my field of vision, another person appeared. "Yeah Sib, just do what you have to," the person cut in. It was my best friend, Emma. "Even if you don't think about us, it's ok."

"And stop trying so hard." I turned quickly to see my older brother behind me with his shaggy brown hair cast in his eyes. "Just do what comes to you, and everything'll be fine."

Slowly, I watched as other people started to appear; other people I had come to know were filling the empty field. I sank down to my knees. This dream…was so vivid. Was it a sign?

I sat there for a moment before I saw two hands extend towards me. My mother and father stood directly in front of me offering to help me up.

"You can do it," My father stated solemnly.

"Never doubt yourself for a second, Sib." My mother added.

"Ok," I said rubbing the last bit of tears out of my eyes, "I…I'll do it. I'll be ok." I reached out with both hands accepting theirs. They pulled me up to my feet.

Things around my vision started to go hazy and everyone's faces began to appear blurry.

"And Sib," my brother called. I turned to face him. "Never forget, we will see you again, no matter what."

"Yeah," I said shooting a confident smile, "count on it." I closed my eyes and let the oncoming darkness envelope me.

* * *

...

I woke with a start. My breathing was heavy and I felt like something was caked on my face. Reaching up, I felt the last of dried tears on my cheeks. I slowly rubbed them away. It was dark out now; the middle of the night. I must have been asleep for a while.

Had it truly been a dream? It had all happened so fast.

Suddenly, I felt new energy surging through me. Even if it was a dream, it meant something. It had to have meant something. Throwing my legs over the side of my bed, I got up. Bending over, I grabbed a little folder that was tucked underneath my mattress. Opening it, I found what I was looking for.

Taking out the sheets of paper I had written down plans on, I shredded them to little pieces, letting the fragments fall to the floor. I stood were I was triumphantly for a minute, appraising what I had done. I wasn't going to need a plan anymore. I would go wherever my heart took me.

For the first time in the last few months, I felt…free.

Starting tomorrow, I wasn't going to think of home again, or of the future. Right now, I needed to focus on one thing at a time. The first thing: How to get Genesis's book replaced.

Smiling to myself, I sat down on my bed again. Lying back, I glanced out of the window at the moon. I smiled before letting my eyes shut once more, with my thoughts relieved of worry.

Whatever was to happen would happen. I would just be along for the ride to make things a little smoother.

The sun was up faster than I thought it would be. I quickly sat up in bed and stretched my hands towards the ceiling, releasing a satisfying yawn. I got up and straightened out my clothing. Before I left my room, I turned towards the mirror. Grabbing the crimson ribbon that sat on the table below it, I neatly tied up my hair and smiled at my reflection.

I practically felt myself skipping out of my room, much to Ale and Agatha's surprise. I came over to the table and sat down, kicking my dangling feet back and forth underneath the chair.

"So did you think things over? Are you feeling better now?" Agatha questioned eagerly. She was definitely aware of my mood change.

"You are up earlier than usual," Ale noted.

Turning my full attention to them, I finally gave them a real, genuine smile. "Yeah, I have," I said, "I'm not worried anymore."

"Well, that's good." Ale responded simply.

"Breakfast is almost ready; I'll bet you're starving." Agatha said.

Right then, I started feeling like I had been punched in the gut. I hadn't eaten since the day before yesterday, and how I slept through that was beyond me.

Lowering my head to the table, all of my excitement corroded away. My stomach itself let out a low rumble. I felt myself wanting to sink my head lower on the table. I heard laughter; I turned my head to see Agatha desperately trying to hold back her mirth, but to no avail. Ale too, had cracked a small grin on his usually straight face. My face turned red in embarrassment.

Not two seconds later, a hot plate of food was placed in front of my face. Without hesitation, I instantly started devouring the food before me. It had never tasted so good, even if it was only toast and scrambled eggs.

"Whoa Sib, slow down a bit," Agatha chided, "You'll either burn your mouth or end up with a stomach ache!"

"Oh," I said swallowing down a bit of food, "sorry."

"Glad to see you're not worrying about what happened anymore." Ale said placing his mug of coffee on the table.

I briefly stopped for a second to ponder what he said. It then clicked, and I figured out he was talking about the malboro.

"Yeah, about that," I began saying, "can I please ask a huge favor, Uncle?" I looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Alright," he huffed out, "What is it that you want?"

"Um, I was wondering if you could take me to buy a certain book…" I said carefully.

"A book? Is that it?" Ale questioned back.

"Yes, a specific book." I replied. "You see, when the malboro attacked me, One of Genesis' most favorite books that I was, um…borrowing, got destroyed in the process." I stuttered out.

"Was that what you were fretting about this whole entire time?" Agatha butted in.

Without a second wasted, I quickly replied "Yep." I then thought for a second. "I figure…It was a really old poetry book, you see, so I don't think I'll be able to find it anywhere." I stopped and looked at Ale.

"Go on." He said.

"I wanted to find a copy of the poem Loveless instead. It was his favorite out of all of them—"

"Wait a second; you're friends with Genesis Rhapsodos?" Agatha nearly shouted out. I almost jumped at her reaction.

"Agatha, it's fine." Ale interrupted her, waving his hand for her to calm down. He turned back to me and answered, "Unfortunately, there are no book stores around here. That book in particular is also rather scarce around these parts that I know of."

At that, my shoulders began to slump a little. There went my plan for trying to fix things with Genesis.

"But," he continued, "it just so happens that we needed to go to Mideel this weekend. You might just find your book there."

Looking at him, my eyes lit up with excitement. "Really?!" I shouted practically standing out of my chair.

I was going to be able to leave Banora? But…

"Hold on," I said, "Why did you say we?"

"We, meaning you and me, need to go to Mideel to get your I.D." Ale responded sipping his coffee. "Ag and I have been meaning to get around to it, but we've been busy. We need to register you in the system."

"Oh."

I was going to be put on Shinra's radar now. I thought silently for a moment before shaking my head slightly. There wouldn't be anything strange that would put me in danger…Except for my ability.

'_I really need to find a way to figure that out.'_

"Well, we should probably get packing soon then." Ale said as he stood up from the table.

"Huh?" I said back absently.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, don't you know that?" Ale replied as if it were simple. "I was meaning to tell you yesterday, but things didn't go as planned."

"Alrighty then!" I said hopping up from my chair. I quickly grabbed my dish and placed it by the sink.

"Hey Uncle," I said, "Would it be alright if I started packing in a little bit? I need to go see a friend first."

He nodded his head with his usual demeanor setting back in.

Not a second later after he responded, I bolted out the door in a heartbeat.

* * *

...

I didn't know how, but I managed to quickly run to the factory. On the way there, I took in the cool early morning air. I didn't know if he would be there, but I certainly was going to try.

Making it inside, I moved aside the crate blocking the entrance and made my way into the tunnel. After only a moment, I soon found myself in the familiar space with the one who I was looking for sitting at his desk seemingly reading something.

"HEY GENESIS!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

His reaction was immediate, that I expected. What I didn't expect was to see his chair go flying backwards with him in it; all the way to the ground too.

I stood there for a moment, at first in shock, taking in the scene in front of me: The great Genesis Rhapsodos lay sprawled out over the chair with whatever book he was reading unceremoniously sitting on the top of his head. Crisis Core's main antagonist was down because of a shout. Soon enough though I couldn't take it anymore and laughter started making its way through my lips.

"Pfh. I didn't think this was possible." I choked out between strangled breaths as I keeled over. Right after I said that, Genesis seemed to spontaneously appear in front of my face.

"Ah, crap," I started jolting straight up. I did not expect him to recover so quickly. "Look Genesis, I'm sorry!" I said holding up my hands defensively. He was looking really, really peeved now.

"Why—"

"Um, I wanted to tell you…Yeah, I'm gonna get you a better book!" I quickly said.

Genesis stopped with his expression seeming to calm a little. Giving me a slightly irritated glare he said, "Is that really all you came down here to say, brat?" Pinching the bridge of his nose, he continued, "You know, I've already told you not to worry about it, right?" He was clearly trying his best to tolerate me.

"Yes, you have," I replied with a calm smile, "But I'm still going to get it for you 'cause I owe you big time! I felt like you should know." Before he had a chance to retort, I made my way to the exit.

Stopping at the entrance to the tunnel, I turned to him. "Just so you know, I'll have that book to you by the end of the weekend. Later Gen!" I threw a hasty wave over my shoulder before retreating the way I came in.

The whole way that I was walking back, I had a grin plastered to my face; I hadn't felt this good in a long time. I strode back into the town with confidence and was about to enter my house when I heard someone call my name.

"Hey, Sib!"

I paused, taking my hand off of the door handle and turned to see Angeal heading towards me. As he approached, something stuck out to me; he had a very familiar sword strapped to his back.

It was the Buster sword.

"Hey Angeal, when did you get back?" I questioned. He finally made it over to me. It appeared that he was still trying to get used to the sword's tremendous weight being on his twelve-year old body.

"Just a few minutes ago. Hey, is it true that you ran into a malboro?" He asked doubtfully.

"Yeah," I replied sheepishly rubbing the back of my head. He had already found out about that.

"And is it true that you also destroyed G's book too?"

"Yes…" I said dejectedly. Who told him all of this?

I saw him look at me with an I-told-you-so face. It also held a hint of…relief?

"But I'm gonna fix it!" I retorted. I watched his face a little longer before supplying, "I know, I know. I should have listened to you and I wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place if I had." I huffed out a sigh. Angeal's code of honor won out.

"So long as Genesis hasn't killed you yet, I'd say you're doing well," he said playfully ruffling my hair.

"Hey!" I protested. "I said I'm going to fix it!" I tried straightening my hair. I then changed the conversation to a different subject.

"Hey, that sword on your back…Does this mean that you and Gen are going to leave soon? You know, to join SOLDIER?" I looked up at him with a little childish pout forming on my face.

Angeal had a guilty look on his face for a moment. "Yeah…We were meaning to tell you, but…"

"It's ok," I said breaking out of the pout with a weak smile, "you guys should be free to pursue your dreams without me holding you back." So this was it then? How long did I have left with those two?

"Geez, for a little kid you're so perceptive, Sib, that it's scary." Angeal laughed a little awkwardly.

"Both of you will at least come to say goodbye before you go, right?" I asked quietly.

"Of course. We are your friends after all." Angeal said shooting me a grin.

I paused for a moment, with his words still ringing in my ears.

'_Friends?_'

I looked him in the eyes, smiling, and replied confidently. "Yeah. I guess we are."

I stayed like that for a moment more before turning back to my front door. "Alright Angeal. I've got to get packing now. Make sure that Genesis doesn't buy any new books while I'm gone!"

With that, Angeal and I parted ways.

Things were going to get a lot better now.

* * *

...

_Author's note_: Sorry about the delay on this one, took me a while to figure it out. Some of Sib's issues have finally been swept under the rug for now. She definitely needed a little break from all that. She's free to move forward now. Please, feel free to leave a review and let me know what you all think!

P.S. The next chapter shouldn't take me as long.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Goodbyes**

* * *

**...**

The trip to Mideel, while a brief one, had been rather productive. Ale and I hitched a ride on a shipment truck heading out of Banora to get there. Once we had gotten there, he took me to register for an I.D. and then to find the book I was looking for.

I had gotten lucky and found only one copy left of the strikingly familiar white book. Picking it up, I didn't care how Genesis had gotten the book before; I would now be the one to have given it to him. After taking my place back in the truck, I chuckled quietly to myself thinking about what Angeal's reaction would be to the book.

Soon enough, the truck's engine roared to life and we were on our way back to Banora, leaving behind the ramshackle town in the forest. That had given me time to think about other things. I knew that Genesis and Angeal would be leaving soon, though I didn't know how much longer I had with them.

With them gone, it would be time to make my next move. Unless the Goddess or the planet was to give me a sign as to what my task was, I would be on my own for now. Judging by when things happened in Final Fantasy 7's world, I concluded that I would have at least ten years before anything major would happen. With Genesis and Angeal's absence, that would be the perfect time to get things sorted out my ability and…train.

That word sounded weird in my mind.

Sure, I had trained for sports before, but never for fighting. It would be interesting to say the least. The only question I had though was who could I go to for help, especially for my magic abilities? It all seemed like one giant puzzle to me.

One thing was for certain though; I wouldn't be able to remain in Banora for training, not with it being under surveillance by Shinra. I wanted to stay as far under the radar as possible.

Coming back to my senses, I started feeling boredom set in as I watched from the back of the truck as the trees went by. Not thinking twice about it, I took Genesis' new book out of my bag and started reading it.

* * *

...

"You're what!?" I practically shouted.

When I came back, this was certainly not what I had expected to find out.

It was late in the afternoon by the time we got back. Immediately after jumping down from the truck, I went to search for Genesis and Angeal. Surprisingly, I found them under the apple tree near Genesis' house on my way towards the old factory. It had been as if they were waiting for me.

Both boys seemed to cringe a little at my response.

"Sorry Sib," Angeal said tentatively, "we didn't know about it either until yesterday."

"Yeah, with the demand that the war is putting on SOLDIER right now, Shinra decided it needs all the recruits it can get, and fast." Genesis added.

They were leaving and soon, all thanks to the new war with Wutai. Already there had been a lot of skirmishes; I found that out by reading one of Ale's newspapers back home. I almost forgot about the war happening when I first got here and was only reminded of it recently. Rubbing off my shock, I gave a regretful smirk, "I guess that means I have less time to bother you guys." I sighed. "Less than a day to work with, that's simply not enough…"

At that, Angeal returned a similar grin leaning against the tree while Genesis rolled his eyes. Walking to the base of the apple tree, Genesis reached up to an overhanging branch and started grabbing the purple fruit off of it. "Here, one last time before we hit the road,eh?" he said before tossing an apple to Angeal. Grabbing two more, he placed the first in his mouth and threw the last at me. It caught me off guard and I stumbled a little before catching it.

As soon as it landed in my hands, I looked at it funny.

"What?" Genesis asked seeing my face. "Never eaten a dumbapple before?" He said sarcastically.

"It's purple," I replied simply, giving the apple another strange look. I had never eaten one before, even though Agatha had offered me some quite a few times. It was a main staple here in Banora, but I couldn't bring myself to eat the strange fruit; it seemed too different from the apples that I knew.

"Just eat it, you'll like it." Genesis said before sitting down at the base of the tree still munching on the apple. I looked over to Angeal as he too began eating.

Hesitantly, I turned to it before taking a bite out of it. Instantly, my taste buds were met with a sweet apple flavor; it wasn't as different as I thought. As I chewed it, I could even vaguely taste a hint of what I recognized as cinnamon. It was…good. Actually, it tasted better than a regular apple.

"Whoa." I said looking at down at the purple fruit.

"Told you." Genesis said smugly as he continued eating.

"Of all the trees in Banora, this one's the best," Angeal said. I watched as he threw the uneaten part of his apple into the open field. "It produces the sweetest apples."

"And one of these days," Genesis cut in, "I'll get the great General Sephiroth to eat one of these too."

'_Sephiroth?!_'

I nearly choked on the piece of apple in my mouth when he said that. Angeal sympathetically patted my back as I fought to regain composure.

"Wait, General?" I said catching my breath. "Isn't Sephiroth, like, your age?" I said pointing to both Angeal and Genesis. "He's already a General?" I said skeptically. He had already been mentioned numerous times in the newspapers, although that information was new; I knew that the man had been a prodigy, but damn.

"Yeah," Angeal said, "he's our age but he's already famous to many, even if the war's only just started."

"It won't just be his name flashing in the news though. Not for long." Genesis said with a hint of pride in his voice. He stood up from the base of the tree before turning to Angeal. "Soon, we'll be out there fighting alongside him and he'll have to step aside!"

I watched the determined look on his face with some concern. He had already started his envy of Sephiroth and I wondered briefly whether or not there would be something I could do. "What about going to the military school?" I questioned, changing the subject. "Doesn't it take a few years before you can get placed in SOLDIER?"

"Please," Genesis said waving off my comment, "My parents got me a tutor specifically for that reason and I got Angeal in on it with me."

Angeal nodded his head in agreement. "We'll at least be able to place into the last level of classes with the work we've done so far, so it'll only take a month or two at best."

I nearly gaped at what they said.

Part of me then remembered that they had already been enhanced with Jenova cells since before they were born. Of course they would already be that advanced. In fact, it had to have been planned all along for them to join SOLDIER.

"Well, when you put it that way," I laughed slightly, glancing down at my feet. "I guess I have a bit of catching up to do with you guys, huh?"

"What could you possibly mean by that?" Angeal questioned giving me a joking glance. "You are technically, what, four years younger than us?"

'_More like ten years older' _I mentally retorted.

"You forget, Angeal, the brat hardly acts her age." Genesis scoffed.

"Hey!" I snapped, turning my head towards Genesis. "Was that an insult?!" I demanded, raising my fist in challenge.

At that Genesis and Angeal shared a look and broke out into hysterical laughter. After a few moments, I started pouting childishly as I lowered my hand. Seeing my face, Genesis jeered "See, that's more like it!"

I rolled my eyes before quietly accepting defeat. Then the apple in my hand was starting to look like a good weapon, but before I could raise my arm to throw it, Angeal cut in.

"Hey, I think we should go now, it's getting dark."

At his words, I looked at the sky. Sure enough, the sun was disappearing in an orange haze above the clouds. The time had gone by fast and I hadn't noticed it. "Come on, let's go," Angeal said tugging my shoulder, "we can continue this in the morning. Right now I'm sure our folks will want us back right about now."

"Oh, alright." I replied lamely.

"Later Gen!" Angeal quipped.

"Yeah, bye." I added with a half-hearted laugh.

We starting walking down the dirt path in the direction to the fountain square, towards where home was. After a few minutes of listening to the crickets quietly chirping, I realized something. "Aw, crap!" I said with a start turning to Angeal.

"What is it?" he replied with a look of worry on his face.

I looked at him seriously before answering. "I forgot to give Gen his book!" I had got so caught up with the fact that Angeal and Genesis were leaving tomorrow that I forgot to take the book out of my pack and give it to him. I didn't want to hang onto it for longer than I needed to because I felt like it would somehow end up spontaneously combusting in my possession.

Angeal stopped for a moment, thinking about what I said. "You actually found a replacement book?" He said with disbelief. "I didn't think you could do it, that poetry book he had was ancient!"

"Actually," I began, "I already figured I wouldn't be able to find the original one, so I went for something better." I reached in my pack before flashing the brand-new book at Angeal. His face paled.

"Oh no." He said slowly before burying half his face in his hands. One second later, he turned and looked at me mournfully. "Of all the books—Are you encouraging this? Next thing you know, he'll be so consumed by it that—"

"Hey," I snapped, "Don't start." He closed his mouth. I continued, "Loveless is actually not that bad if you read it and besides, I owe him for destroying the other book. What better way than with the book form of his favorite poem?" I smiled to myself proudly.

Angeal kept walking, though quietly he muttered under his breath, "You're not the one that has to travel with him for four hours straight…"

"You'll live." I replied smartly.

* * *

...

Morning came quicker than I thought it would. I lounged around in my bed, slowly trying to wake up before I heard a knock on my bedroom door. It opened and soon after, Agatha stepped in.

"You should probably get up, Sib." She spoke gently. I looked at her, tilting my head in question. "It's almost noon and the chopper has arrived to pick up your friends. I thought you'd like to know."

"Already!?" I said in a panic. Had I spaced out by accident?

Immediately, I bolted out of bed and dressed as quick as I could. In no time flat, I zipped out the door and ran towards Genesis' house with the book in my hands.

I arrived in time to see Genesis and Angeal standing out front, saying their goodbyes to their parents. They had bags in their hands and I could even see the Buster sword strapped to Angeal's back from where I was. I turned my head and noticed a massive black helicopter casually sitting in an opening in the middle of the fields near the house. I quickly ran towards them as they started walking towards it.

"Hey! You guys said you weren't leaving without a goodbye!" I shouted.

"Well, someone was running a bit late." Genesis commented.

"We're still here, aren't we?" Angeal said ignoring Genesis.

"And who is this?" A deep voice asked.

I nearly froze for a second. There was someone standing behind me whose voice I didn't recognize at all. It didn't belong to either Genesis' or Angeal's parents. I turned to look in the voice's direction, only to be faced with a dark black suit. '_A Turk?_'my mind registered silently. He must have been talking to their parents and I didn't notice when I ran over.

But then, I realized something.

Of course Shinra had sent the Turks to fly Genesis and Angeal in, weren't they the ones who primarily flew the SOLDIERs around? I never thought about that being a possibility.

I brought my eyes up to the man's face. I was met with a pair of stern brown eyes and a subtle cross look on his face, a face that I couldn't help but recognize from somewhere.

"Ah, this is one of our friends, sir." Angeal replied respectfully.

"I see," the man replied in a flat tone lowering his gaze to mine.

I swallowed a little nervously as I stepped forward to introduce myself. "Hello," I said with a polite smile. "My name is Sibyl Lasko, pleasure to meet you Mr. Veld, sir."

No sooner had I said that, some sort of unreadable expression twinkled in his eyes. "So you have heard of me? Interesting," he said as he nodded his head in return to my greeting. He retained his gaze on me for a few seconds more which was starting to make me feel uncomfortable. Had I said something wrong? Turning his attention away from me, Veld faced Genesis and Angeal.

"It's time that we headed out. We need to keep on schedule."

"Yes sir," Genesis and Angeal both replied. Veld turned back towards the two families gathered behind us and began speaking with them as Genesis and Angeal began making their way to where the chopper was.

"Oh, hey Genesis! Wait up!" I said as quickly staggered from my current position. I couldn't believe that I nearly forgot again. Genesis stopped and turned around, facing me.

"I meant to give this to you yesterday, but I kinda forgot." I held out the sparkling white book for him.

He looked at it for a second before his eyes widened. "That's—"

"I told you I'd pay you back. I couldn't find the original book, so I got you this one instead." I grinned triumphantly as he gently took the book in his hands. I could see Angeal standing just behind him; his eye was twitching. '_Sorry, not sorry_' I silently joked. He was probably hoping I would forget about it at the last minute, how unfortunate for him.

"I…" Genesis looked speechless for once. Coming back to his senses, he looked at me and smirked before swiftly tapping my head with the book.

"Hey—!" I began fussing.

"Look," he said cutting me off, "don't go getting into trouble while we're gone, ok Sib?"

"I guess that's a thank you." I mumbled crossing my arms. "Wait a second," I stopped, "You said my name!" I pointed at him accusingly.

"Did I now? I'll try not to make a habit of it." He replied condescendingly.

With that said, Genesis turned and headed to the chopper with Angeal following behind him after saying "See you around." I opened my mouth to say something more, but the words wouldn't come out.

Finally the reality of the situation was setting in; this was it.

As I watched them both get on the helicopter, a bittersweet smile etched its way onto my face. Inside, I was truly a little sad to see them go. Two of the closest friends I had were leaving me behind. Secretly I was wishing that I still had more time with them.

Veld started walking past me, but stopped for a moment. "You'll see them again." He said reassuringly.

"Um, Mr. Veld?" I asked, grabbing his attention. He turned to fully face me. "Um."

"Yes?" he said calmly.

"Sir, you're a Turk, right?" I said gathering my courage. "How do I become one?"

From my viewpoint closer to the ground, it looked as if Veld raised his eyebrow at me. Did he find this amusing?

"And why is that, young one? Why do you want to be a Turk?"

"I have an idea why," I said slowly. He kept his stern gaze on me; Veld was certainly a serious man judging by the consistency of his expressions. I decided to explain further, "I…I want to be able to work alongside my friends. And, well, I'm pretty sure I'm not cut out for SOLDIER." I rubbed the back of my head nervously.

I didn't want to be directly under Hojo's lens, but at the same time, I still did want to be as close to Genesis and Angeal as possible. Heck, I didn't even know if SOLDIER allowed girls in. With Veld here, maybe this was my chance to get my foot in the door with the Turks. It was an opportunity I didn't want to miss.

"I see." He responded plainly. He turned away from me for a moment as if to think. I felt myself starting to frown assuming that the answer was a no.

"You'll have to wait a few years." Veld said all of a sudden. "And if you find that you still want to be a Turk, come to my office in Midgar and then we'll talk."

I didn't expect that response. I looked up to him with a gaping smile. This meant that I had a chance!

"You can count on it sir!" I shouted to him enthusiastically as he entered the chopper.

I probably just left him with the weirdest first impression a child could ever give.

Ever so slowly, I watched as the chopper propeller came to life and began to lift off the ground. I stood there for a few minutes before I started waving goodbye at the chopper, not caring if they could see me or not. I remained looking at the sky for a while, even after the helicopter left my sight.

Genesis and Angeal made their move, perhaps it was time I made my own as well.

* * *

...

Not feeling like heading home just yet, I let my legs take me somewhere I knew well. I found myself looking up fondly at the old factory building in all of its shabby glory. It had been a few days since I had been there, maybe even almost a week.

I headed inside and uncovered the hideout entrance. Walking down the tunnels, it felt weird to me knowing that Genesis and Angeal wouldn't be around here anymore. Rather than hearing the usual banter of my friends, the only thing I heard now was the quiet echo of my footsteps.

All of a sudden, I halted in my tracks; I could faintly hear someone. It was quiet though, as if they were whispering. I began to stealthily inch my way forward, thinking that someone had discovered the hideout. Poking my head first into the cavern opening, I looked around suspiciously. I could see no one.

As I walked in further, something seemed off. I looked around and realized that Genesis must have straightened it up a little; there were a lot fewer books lying around than before, but there was no one here.

I felt my eyes being drawn to the desk. Sitting on top of it was a familiar green looking rock.

That had to have been what I heard earlier—it was my Materia!

Quickly I snatched it up and felt my fingers fill with the comforting warmth I had missed; I nearly forgot about it completely.

Had Genesis left it behind for me on purpose?

I shrugged, unable to decide. Whatever the case, it felt good to be reunited with it.

I pulled out the chair and sat down at the desk, propping my feet up on it. I needed to figure out my next move. I began twiddling with the materia in my hands as I thought. Absentmindedly, I then picked up a book off the desk that my materia had been sitting on top of. It was a history book about Shinra. I quickly began flipping through the pages as if it would be able to give me some idea of what to do. Of course, none of the pages I glazed over held any crucial information.

I stopped flipping through the book as soon as I had reached a section on the science research division. I found myself staring vehemently at a picture of a very unnerving scientist; Hojo. After what seemed like a few minutes, an idea came to my head.

Perhaps I was in need of a scientist to help me understand my ability. I had so many questions about it, but didn't know quite how to answer them. That would be a possible start.

The longer I stared at the picture however, the more I began to rethink that idea. There was no way I would be able to find a good enough scientist without going to Shinra, let alone keep my ability itself a secret in the process. I would be in hot oil before I could even reach Midgar. And another thing was that I needed someone to teach me the skills to fight, at least to defend myself. If the malboro was anything to go by, leaving Banora and wandering around on my own would not be the smartest decision.

Zangan?

No, that man was out of the question. He was already Tifa's teacher and I didn't want to mess with that. After I thought about it some more, I realized that I didn't want to mess with anybody from the original game, lest I should horribly fail my purpose.

My shoulders shuddered at that; I didn't want to think about those implications.

No—I knew I had to succeed, and no matter what the cost.

My eyes slowly narrowed as I continued glaring at Hojo's picture with increasing frustration. Tearing my eyes off of it, I began to shut the book as my eyes caught sight of a certain name.

Quickly flipping it back open, I couldn't help but be surprised. I briefly read the paragraph beneath the picture silently. The last few words started to spark a new interest, a new possibility.

"… Passed away in 1984…"

I knew for certain that this person wasn't dead; she was very much alive.

The gears in my head had begun turning faster. She could be the answer to my problem, and not to mention several others as well. The only problem for me would be trying to convince her to act.

Thinking about her also inadvertently brought to mind another person. Maybe I would make an exception for this.

"Goal set," I announced to the empty cavern. I finally determined the next step I would take, even if it would be more of a leap than anything.

I closed the book before placing it in my bag to study later. I decided that I had to focus on plotting my way out of Banora, the sooner the better. I needed to make my way towards the western continent.

* * *

...

The sun was still somehow high in the sky by the time I decided to return back to town. The one thing to bring me out of my train of thought was a growling stomach; I neglected to realize that I hadn't eaten anything when I had gotten up this morning.

As I walked back, I gave some more thought to my scheme.

I figured that I could work on using my magic in secret by practicing it in the hideout, especially now that there was no one around who knew where it was. The walls seemed sturdy enough that nothing would collapse or set fire which would make it a perfect practice area. Once I did that, maybe I would be able to start practicing on smaller monsters and start collecting some gill in the process.

I had noticed many times the numerous creatures that roamed around the outskirts of Banora. Most of them appeared harmless. I would just have to be careful about something like another malboro showing up. Speed, hopefully, would be my ticket out of that kind of sticky situation.

I finally reached Banora's town square. Looking up at one of the many windmills that dotted the town, I silently promised myself something: Starting tomorrow, I would give myself a month to collect supplies and prepare for the journey.

I needed to get moving as soon as I could. Anymore time spent here would be a waste. Surely that would be enough time for me to get ready.

With that thought, I confidently shoved my hands in my pocket and made my way back towards the fountain square where home was. Looking up from my feet, I saw that a lone figure seemed to be standing still at the edge of the fountain.

I approached her before speaking up. "Mrs. Hewley, are you alright?"

Angeal's mother was now a few feet in front of me and I could see a few tears staining her face underneath her short dark hair. I had met the lady a few times before and knew that she was a really nice person; she looked so sad right now, and I could only imagine what was going through her mind at the moment.

"Oh, Sibyl." She said with a little surprise in her voice. "Everything is fine, dear child," she responded wiping her face with the yellow shawl around her neck.

I reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. "Everything will be fine Mrs. Hewley. Angeal's gonna be fine too." I tried my best to console her.

"I'll make sure of it; I'll look after both of them when I get out of here." I mumbled quietly.

* * *

...

_Author's note:_ Alright, finally everything is ready! Hopefully I can move on in the story with the next chapter, so I'll give a little warning: Huge time skip coming up! I even think I'll write another extra for the next chapter. Please feel free to leave a review and let me know your thoughts!


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's_ note: Just to give ya'll a heads up, this chapter is a little different from the rest! And for the sake of the story, I went back and made a slight change to Sib's age; I felt that it would allow me to be more flexible as the story itself goes on.

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Start**

* * *

(1992)

The time had finally come; my time limit was up.

Before I realized it, one month had come and gone as I rushed to prepare myself for the inevitable. In the end with the progress I had made, I felt that it would be enough to get me to where I needed to go. I scrounged up enough supplies, money, and even managed to boost my stamina some through a little training with magic.

It was the dead of night, early February, when I departed Banora.

Quietly, I slipped out of my bed and stopped at my nightstand. I collected up my headband and replaced it with a note, gently propping it up against the little candle. I wasn't about to leave Ale and Agatha without at least giving them some sort of explanation.

Not soon after, I exited the front door and headed to the undergrounds one last time. Upon entering, I immediately scooped up my bag and slipped the fire materia into my pocket. The hideout had served as a very useful place for keeping my plan out of sight from wandering eyes. Turning for one final time, I took in the small cavern and reminisced. I knew that this would be the last time I ever set foot in it. After I would leave, things would be different from here on out; I would be leaving the comfort zone I had come to know and take my first steps towards the inevitable, uncertain future.

With that, I turned and took my leave.

* * *

?

When Veld arrived in Banora at the start of the new year, he suspected nothing unusual to occur; he would merely be retrieving the two new additions to Shinra's grand SOLDIER project. He specifically had been called in to pick them up because of how special of a case the boys were, both Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos. After all, they were subjects involved in _that_ project.

Needless to say that he was surprised when a peculiar little girl made her presence known. Veld had been in Banora since the early hours of the day. When the time of departure arrived, he stood by the two boys as they said their goodbyes to their parents in the grassy field by the mayor's house. That was when she appeared.

"Hey! You guys said you weren't leaving without a goodbye!" He heard her shout. At first, Veld thought nothing of it; he was even reminded of his own daughter.

Veld continued talking to the parents for a moment longer before turning around. He found himself looking down at a girl with unruly black hair; completely normal looking from behind, maybe even a little tomboyish. The girl had been talking to the two older boys as if they were close friends. "And who is this?" Veld said, making his presence known.

He watched as the girl slowly turned her head to look at him. When the girl's eyes met his gaze, Veld was thrown off. Crimson colored eyes…just like his old partner. The girl held an uncanny resemblance to Valentine! But how? That kind of color of eyes was hard to come by on Gaia, a trait saved for barely a small handful of people.

Veld was broken out of his thoughts by Angeal. "Ah, this is one of our friends, sir." The boy said stepping forward slightly.

"I see," he replied, maintaining his calm appearance.

The girl seemed a little nervous for a moment before taking a step towards him. What she said next threw Veld for another loop: "Hello, my name is Sibyl Lasko, pleasure to meet you Mr. Veld, sir."

"So you have heard of me? Interesting," he responded.

This girl was definitely becoming more and more intriguing by the second. The way she looked was more than enough to catch his interest, but the way she was acting coupled with the fact that she knew who he was by name was alarming in his mind. It was starting to sound off many different ideas.

Veld distracted himself from his haywire mind and focused his attention on Genesis and Angeal; he didn't want to cause any suspicion. "It's time that we headed out. We need to keep on schedule."

He then turned his attention to the boys' parents as the girl ran off after the boys.

Upon dismissing the parents and bidding them a farewell, he began walking back towards the chopper before casting another glance at the girl. At that moment, her eyes were fixed on the helicopter and she looked…sad, like how a normal child would act. That helped ease Veld's thoughts, if only for a moment.

He felt the need to say something. "You'll see them again." Veld could imagine what the girl was going through; he knew what it was like to be separated from the people he cared about. His wife and daughter lived in Kalm while he was in Midgar.

The girl remained quiet for a moment before speaking up.

"Um, Mr. Veld?" She asked. He directed his gaze down at her. "Um."

"Yes?" he said back patiently.

"Sir, you're a Turk, right? How do I become one?"

That came out of nowhere.

"And why is that, young one? Why do you want to be a Turk?" He asked curiously.

"I have an idea why," she began, "I…I want to be able to work alongside my friends. And, well, I'm pretty sure I'm not cut out for SOLDIER."

"I see."

Veld then turned away for a moment to think. The girl did seem intelligent, and that alone posed a lot of potential for becoming a Turk. But…he was still left with many questions about her. Why hadn't the undercover operatives said anything? Surely she wouldn't have gone unnoticed.

The solution was simple; he would just have to do some of his own digging when he returned to his office.

"You'll have to wait a few years. And if you find that you still want to be a Turk, come to my office in Midgar and then we'll talk."

He had made his decision and with that, he made his way to the helicopter.

…

Over a month, and Veld could only come up with dead ends for his questions. Sibyl was proving to be an enigma; she had a registered I.D., but it appeared that the first few years of her life were missing. She only appeared washed up in a creek after a freak flood drowned an entire town northeast of Banora. It even seemed that she had lost some of her memories other than her name.

Veld of course looked at the records for the destroyed town, but he couldn't find the family name of Lasko among any of the former inhabitants. That only increased his own suspicions and added to a theory.

The girl had a striking resemblance towards his old Turk partner, Vincent Valentine. While Valentine was listed as deceased, Veld estimated that Sibyl was at least old enough to be related to him. But…Vincent Valentine had never really been close to anyone, and Veld certainly knew that. Maybe her appearance was simply…A coincidence?

No, there had to be something more.

A knock sounded at Veld's door and the silence in his office was disrupted. "Come in."

The door opened and a young man with black hair tied back in a short ponytail entered.

"Ah, Tseng." Veld said in recognition, looking up from his papers. "What is it that you've found?"

"The girl that you asked the undercover agent to observe, well, she's been reported as a runaway."

Veld's eyebrow rose at that; it was certainly a new development. Did Sibyl think that she was being watched, perhaps? Very perceptive for an eight year old. It seemed to give some support to his theory too.

"It is reported that she left a note, sir," Tseng continued, "Her excuse for running away apparently was to go training on her own and something about her aunt and uncle not wanting her to join the Turks." A doubtful smirk appeared on Tseng's face and it vanished as quickly as it came.

"In that case, tell the agent to return. We have no further business in Banora for now. You are dismissed."

He listened to the sound of shoes clacking against the floor and heard the door shut soon after. He returned to the paperwork on his desk.

Veld sighed. At this rate, maybe he would only be able to receive answers from Sibyl herself. For now, he would keep his suspicions quiet and stop with his theories. He wouldn't tell the two boys either; it would be best to keep them away from a distraction with their progression.

The only thing he could do now was wait.

* * *

?

The tall man had worked at the docks of Costa del Sol for as long as he could remember. Proof enough was the grey hair on his head. He had seen many things through his time working there and unloading shipments, but he had never seen something like this.

It had been an average day, like any other. He completed his morning routine and made his way down to the docks for his job. As the hours went by, everything went off without a hitch, but when he went to unload the newly caught chocobos that were sent from the area of Mideel, he had been taken back by shock. From outside their holding area, he could discern the figure of a little kid with jet-black hair among the chocobos. In fact, the kid appeared to be asleep and leaning on one as well.

His eyes widened at the sight. It was unusual; a stowaway kid had taken refuge with a bunch of wild chocobos, one of the most skittish animals he'd ever dealt with, and the chocobos didn't seem to react to her presence at all!

The man quickly left to find a supervisor, not knowing what to do, but upon returning, the chocobos finally kicked up a storm at his appearance. The kid was gone, he realized, and the shipment later came up as short of one chocobo.

His supervisor could hardly believe his story either.

* * *

(Late 1992)

If I knew that it would be this hard to find my way around the western continent, I would have stayed put in the last town I was in and found money to hire a guide.

It had been almost nine months since I had left Banora. So far, I seemed to be doing a great job of keeping myself unnoticed and I even acquired a chocobo, whom I'd fondly named Bo, to help with my journey. But also so far, I failed to convince my first target to help me.

It took me five of those months to find her, combined with bad weather, avoiding monsters and suspicious people, and keeping out of harm's way, yet when I found her, she didn't want to help me.

Despite my desperate attempts to convince her to help me, I ended up leaving empty handed. Guilt had already consumed her thoroughly enough that my words couldn't reach her ears. I left her with where I was heading next in hopes that she would change her mind.

My plan wasn't going as well as I had hoped. From there I decided to trudge on and make my way to my next destination; I had to find the Shinra Mansion. That's how I found myself where I was now: Lost in the cold and cloudy mountains somewhere around the area of Nibelheim. On top of that, my supplies were running drastically low and I certainly looked and felt worse for wear.

I also felt like I had been riding the Bo around in circles having found myself staring at a familiar boulder for the eighth time in a row.

"Ain't this a joke." I mumbled aloud.

I slightly nudged the Bo in the side to let me down. Dismounting him, I stood up as tall as I could and stretched out my aching muscles; no matter how soft and fluffy a chocobo was it still didn't prevent me from getting a saddle sore.

I looked to Bo, "I don't suppose you can magically find the way there?"

"Wark."

"Yeah, thought so." I sighed shaking my head. This was becoming a disaster. On the upside of things, I was seeing a lot more of Gaia than I had ever dreamed of.

"Can you wait here for me?" I asked the chocobo, even though he probably couldn't understand me.

"Wark."

Stretching out my arms a bit more, I walked over to the base of the tallest tree I could find near me and began to climb. I wanted to try seeing if I could see anything from above the tall masses of evergreen trees.

Climbing to the top, I felt my skin become more and more sticky with sap. I had saved tree climbing as a last resort in order to avoid feeling any more filthy than I already was. I stopped for a moment and removed the ribbon around my head and carefully tucked it into my pocket; I didn't want to lose or damage it because of the tree.

After a few moments, I reached the top. Sadly, though, I couldn't see anything else except for the vast cover of green trees and the face of grey rock. From what I could tell, I was however, near the top of one of the numerous peaks of the mountains. I continued to look out on the land, noting the position of the sun; it would be setting soon.

Then I heard something.

The tree seemed to shake underneath my hold.

"Shit," I mumbled to myself as I quickly began to descend the branches. Something was wrong, and my gut seemed to be telling me that as well. Keeping my eyes trained down at my feet, I hurried along, making sure I didn't miss a branch and slip.

I planted my feet firmly on the ground in time to see Bo with his feathers ruffled up in agitation. I hurried towards him; there was something huge nearby. No sooner had I reached him, a loud roar abruptly sounded off behind me, scaring my Chocobo.

He began to flail around for a few seconds, pulling violently away from my grasp before bolting away from me in the opposite direction.

"Bo! Come back!" I screeched desperately. He disappeared into the never ending forest of green; Bo was long gone, and he had taken most of my supplies with him.

A second later, I came to my senses and snapped my head around to see a huge, hulking dragon standing not thirty yards away from me. At that moment, it appeared that I only had one option. With that, I zipped of in the direction my chocobo went as the dragon began stomping faster after me. Whether he wanted me or Bo, I didn't know. All I knew was that if I stuck around there for another minute I'd wind up dead; I had to high tail it out of there.

"Of all the things!" I huffed out as I sprinted away. This was not good, with all of my luck I had been found by a Nibel Dragon. It was immune to fire which meant I had no chance in hell of fending it off.

Pumping my arms upward, I kept running as fast as I could despite the fact that my body was sore. I was put at an even further disadvantage by the fact that I still had the body of a little kid.

Crashing through the trees, the dragon was still right behind me and gaining on me quickly. Why couldn't it just fly away and bother somebody else? I had put myself in yet another life-endangering situation, and this time, there was no one to help me.

At that thought, I began panicking.

"Genesis! Angeal! Anyone! Help!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I continued running.

Yep. I was going to die.

"Planet, please!" I pleaded at the last second. I was going to fail and would have changed nothing.

Immediately after that, I noticed how close behind the dragon was. Alarmed, I realized too late that I had slowed down, placing me within reach of the dangerous predator. With a swipe of its limb, the dragon sent me flying forward, narrowly missing me with its claws. I felt like a ragdoll as I tumbled along the ground, barely stopping short of being knocked out against a rock face. Was it toying with me? Playing with its food?

I stared up at it in fear from the ground. I was weak and I felt my body solidify in place; my legs were refusing to move.

Then right as the dragon opened its gaping mouth to finish me off, gunshots rang out. I watched, paralyzed in shock, as a figure cloaked in crimson seemed to come out of nowhere and began fighting the dragon.

The dragon swiftly began to retaliate against the new presence, but the figure was prepared for it. The way he moved, how fast he attacked the dragon, was inhuman.

No, he was demonic.

I guess I had found him; the one I was seeking, but…how? What were the chances of this happening, that I would be saved at the last possible moment from my untimely demise? Not surprisingly, I found myself thinking that the odds were heavily against me. In fact, there was no way it should have happened at all.

I snapped out of my stupor as a final shot rang out, effectively silencing the dragon forever. I stared at the man—no, the demon—in awe as he lowered his weapon.

A gust of wind rushed through the trees, breaking the deafening silence that had ensued.

The demon turned towards me.

"C-Chaos…" I stuttered out.

How?

Why?

His glowing eyes met mine and he sneered at me coldly, "You required assistance?"

* * *

(1995)

?

The boy knew that something bad was going to happen. Thank the planet that he had followed her, but now he didn't know what to do.

What had happened played out in his mind again.

Earlier he had followed his neighbor, Tifa Lockhart, as she stubbornly made her way up to Mt. Nibel. Cloud had tried the entire way to convince her to turn back, but failed at it miserably. The only thing he concluded that he could do was try to keep the younger girl safe as she tried to find her mother, no matter how in vain her efforts were.

So he stayed by her side, keeping an eye out for any possible danger. He had done a good job at it…That is, until they reached the bridge.

Cloud didn't know that the bridge had been very loose and no sooner had Tifa set foot on it, he found himself watching in horror as the bridge gave out on one side.

Tifa let out a cry of shock as she felt the surface beneath her give way and she started to fall. A split second later, Cloud reached out to her and both of them ended up plunging to the ground below.

It had been a miracle that he was still conscious and only had a few cuts and bruises. Tifa on the other hand had not been so fortunate.

Cloud sat there cradling her head in his hands. She had been knocked out and had a deep gash above her eyebrow; it was bleeding heavily. Cloud faintly ghosted his hand over the wound; this clearly wasn't a dream.

"Tifa?! Tifa wake up, please!" He was panicking. Tifa was possibly dead or dying and he didn't know what to do. He felt at that moment that it was his fault. He felt so helpless.

"Please, somebody! Help!" He cried out in frustration, tearing at his own blonde locks. Tears began pouring from his eyes.

He then looked up back to the bridge when he caught sight of someone. A ray of hope seemed to shine down on Cloud.

"Hey!" he began shouting, waving his hands frantically through the air. "Down here, please help us!"

He watched as the person seemed to flinch at his call for help.

He continued speaking: "My friend, she's unconscious! I don't know what to do…" He blinked slowly and looked back down at Tifa as if to reassure himself that she was still there before glancing back up.

Cloud's face dropped when he realized that the figure had disappeared from sight.

He couldn't believe it; he had found hope, only to have the stranger run away from them. It only made him more frustrated. Was it only a hallucination?

"You fell from the bridge, didn't you?" A voice spoke up, startling Cloud. He looked up to see that the person from earlier only standing a few feet away from him and Tifa.

His eyes lit up as the person, a girl, came closer. He looked at her briefly; her face was hidden from his sight by a hood pulled over her face. Cloud tried taking in any other details he could, but the only other thing he could make note of was that the girl had bandages wrapped around one of her arms.

The girl's appearance up-close was starting to unnerve Cloud, though he didn't know why.

"Ah crap," the girl muttered as she searched her pockets for something. "Of all the times to not have it…" She then broke out of her quiet ranting with a start as if to realize that Cloud was still there. He looked at her with anticipation.

"Um, look," she began, "I won't be able to help you much, but I can at least take care of the wound on Ti—your friend's head."

Before he could ask what she meant, the girl knelt down and placed a glowing green hand on Tifa's forehead.

"Magic?" Cloud wondered with curiosity. He watched silently as the girl's hand hovered over the gash, slowly mending together the wound. Nobody in Nibelheim was ever lucky enough or rich enough to be able to have a materia and Cloud had certainly never been able to see magic used before.

Just as he moved his head to get a closer look at his savior, the girl abrupty stood up. "Alright, I've helped you all I can. You should hurry up and get your friend back to town; she still needs some medical attention. I'll follow you down to make sure you get back safely, but that's as far as I'll go. After that, you've never seen me, understand?" She quipped hastily.

Cloud shook his head in agreement immediately with no hesitation; his main priority was saving his friend. Looking back down at Tifa, the wound on her forehead was gone. He stood up as quickly as he could and began to hoist Tifa on his shoulder when heard the stranger groaned a little, bringing her hand up to her head underneath the hood. When she removed her hand, Cloud could see what looked like blood rubbed onto her fingertips.

"You're not hurt too, are you?" Cloud questioned carefully as he cautiously took a step towards her with Tifa still propped up against his shoulder.

"They're never going to let me hear the end of this," he discerned the stranger mumbling under her breath.

"What?" he questioned.

The girl snapped her head towards him and his blue eyes met red ones. He felt his mouth slip open slightly. "I'm fine, now hurry before it gets dark" the girl lashed out.

Cloud nearly jumped at her response. He wasn't given much time to comply as the girl began walking away.

Painfully, but slowly, he walked with Tifa's limp figure at his side down the mountain, navigating the rougher parts with some help. Eventually the girl began walking behind them as they got closer to their destination. Ever so often, Cloud turned back to see if the girl was still there. Sure enough as they made their way down the stranger stayed behind them, effectively keeping her distance.

By the time he had gotten to the outskirts of town, he turned once more to thank the mysterious girl, but she was already gone.

Cloud was starting to get a massive headache from the whole encounter: Something didn't feel right about it. He shrugged it off.

Maybe his injuries were the source of the unease.

He continued to drag himself towards town.

* * *

(1997)

"We need to leave, now."

"You're sure, Vincent?" I looked sincerely at the man who I'd come to know in the past five years. He solemnly nodded his head.

"Shinra personnel were spotted not too far from here." He replied.

"I'll go get the Doc then." I said back as I hastily made my way towards the upper level in Shinra Mansion. Climbing up the grand staircase in the old mansion, I took in the massive glass windows one last time before dashing into a side hallway. I opened a bedroom door and found myself looking at a quiet lady with long brown hair cascading down the side of her slender figure sitting at the edge of a lone bed.

"It's time Dr. Crescent." I said calmly as I took a step into the room. "Is everything in order?"

"Yes," she said flashing a slight, sad smile at me, "We can leave this place with no worries. You will be in no danger."

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. "Good. Let's go, he's waiting downstairs."

Silently she got up from the bed she was sitting on and slung a small bag over her shoulder. We quickly made our way downstairs to the mansion foyer. I caught sight of Vincent standing at the front door. He looked to us both, with his eyes lingering a little longer on Dr. Crescent before he spoke.

"Let's move out."

It was still early in the morning as we slipped out of the mansion and took off into the surrounding woods, leaving Nibelheim well behind us.

Ever since I had come there five years ago, Vincent Valentine had made sure to hammer it into my head that using the Shinra Mansion as my place of operations was a very risky idea. I quickly learned over the following months after that that Shinra lab personnel would occasionally come and go to check on the status of the mansion, despite the fact that it had been out of use for quite some time. All three of us were used to having everything ready so as to leave at the drop of a hat in case something ever came up; all of our equipment and research was packed up and we made sure the building looked untouched.

This time however, the leave would be permanent. It was only a few days before that Both Vincent and I could feel that something was going to happen. Vincent had gone out to scope the surrounding areas and quickly determined that a huge wave of Shinra employees with lots of equipment was moving in. For what, I couldn't be sure.

The whole entire five years that I'd been there, I had made sure to steer clear of Nibelheim, especially after that time. I had accidentally run into Cloud and even Tifa too, but I managed to slip away without revealing myself. I didn't want to change things from the main story as much as I could.

As it turned out, I wasn't the only one who'd done some avoiding in those past few years. Both Vincent and Dr. Crescent had been avoiding each other, though in the most subtle ways. When she had first showed up, which was a great shock to me, both she and Vincent were at a loss of words when they had finally come face to face again.

It was awkward, but in the end they decided to work together to help me, all because of one reason: Sephiroth. In fact, I don't think I would've been able to get their help in the first place if it wasn't for that reason.

I ended up divulging them with as much knowledge I could give them within reason about what I knew was going to happen. There was some information, however, that I made sure only found its way to Vincent's ears alone; I couldn't be too sure about how Dr. Crescent would react if I told her that same information.

In the end, my plan had paid off. I had gained two individuals who I could fully trust with the knowledge I had and whom I could turn to help for if I needed it. The best part was that it would only have a minor impact on the future if I was to somehow fail.

Based off of what I had discussed with Dr. Crescent about my previous dreams with the Goddess, I had been able to set my goal: I needed to use my knowledge to prevent some of the horrific things that I knew would happen.

We continued walking through the dense woods when all of a sudden I was abruptly broken out of my thoughts when my face nearly rammed into Dr. Crescent's back.

"We are here." Vincent announced quietly.

I looked from behind Dr. Crescent, scanning the surrounding area. We had reached a crossroad. The roads seemed to carry on for a long time in the different directions, some leading through deep forest and others becoming clearer as they went on.

"I guess it's time for us to part ways then, huh?" I said with a light sense of humor. I started walking towards the road that led away from the woods before stopping for a moment. I looked back to Dr. Crescent. "You sure you don't want to come with me? I would be able to keep you out of sight and—"

"I don't deserve to see him" She said beating me to the point.

"But you're his mother!" I said in disbelief. "He ought to be able to meet you and know that you're alive!" When I first met her, Dr. Crescent at came off as a closed off, self-loathing lady; she blamed herself for a lot of things, most of which wasn't her fault. In the game, her self-loathing character annoyed me, but meeting her in person I felt...sad. She deserved more than what she was given. Deep down, I knew that she wanted to see her son again, at least once.

"I have already failed him too much to even deserve being called his mother."

"Lucrecia, don't—" Vincent began to speak to her but she brushed him aside and walked towards me.

"Here," she said handing me the bag that she brought. "It contains all the research we've done; it contains your blood work, the mako readings, and your guidelines to follow. I suggest that after you memorize it that you burn it up. Wouldn't do to have him catching on." She said the last sentence bitterly before she began walking down the road heading south.

"Hey Doc, wait! Where are you going?!" I shouted after her.

"I am returning back to the place I came from, the place I belong." She replied quietly.

The cave.

"And do not worry; your secret will be safe with me." She added

I watched sadly as her figure retreated in the distance. Even in the few years I had known her, I had been unable to change her heart. She still seemed as every bit of the depressed, mournful woman she had been in the game, no matter what I tried. I turned to look at Vincent who stood there silently watching as well. Even though he didn't show it, I could tell he was hurt by it.

"It is time I take my leave as well." He said, turning his focus down at me.

"You have the list of people that I asked you to look up?" I asked.

He nodded his head once before tapping a finger to his forehead. He would remember it, that I could definitely count on.

"Remember what I have taught you and be sure to remain out of the sight of any wandering eyes."

"You know what?" I started saying pulling my thoughts back to Dr. Crescent. "You two place too much blame on yourselves when you've done nothing wrong. Hope I can get you guys to see that one of these days."

When I turned back to look at him, Vincent had disappeared from my sight.

I sighed to myself, scratching the back of my head. "Well, I suppose that's as much of a goodbye as I'll ever get…" I was alone again. Both my teacher and my doctor had left me.

I looked at the bag in my hands and double checked its contents. Sure enough, the files were there, down to my own little book of handwritten guidelines. I also pulled out the three materia I had practiced with: My fire one, a thunder, and a cure. I shoved them in the pockets of my sleeveless hoodie and placed the book in my own bag. Searching the bag one last time, I discovered a pair of sunglasses.

I laughed at that.

Dr. Crescent had suggested at one point that they would be nifty to have. At this rate, it looked like I was going to be ripping off the style of a certain Turk. Oh well. I placed the sunglasses over my eyes before dumping the bag and its remaining contents on the road.

I held out my left hand and with the snap of my fingers, it burst into flames. I watched as the pages full of detailed data were burned into a crisp, never to reveal their secrets again. I felt no need to look at the pages again since I had already known what they said from top to bottom. Dr. Crescent had made sure of that with our meetings.

As the last of the fire died out leaving behind a pile of ash, I began walking down the road to the east. It was high time that I joined up with the Turks and finally saw some old friends of mine.

* * *

**Extra**

When I had made it to Midgar, I found a small hotel to stay at in the slums. After securing the room as Vincent had taught me to, I dropped my bag down onto the bed. I began to pace but stopped short in front of the only mirror in the dusty old room.

I intently gazed at my own reflection. My body had finally filled out a little and I was close to being back at my original height of 5'4". That was a relief in my eyes. During my training with Vincent it had always been hard for me to land a hit on him with the huge difference in height. I flinched a little at that memory; I had no problems with height differences, but when someone was that much taller than you...just, no.

My hair as well had been grown out a little longer while still retaining its messy tenacity. My eyes landed on the ribbon tied around my head, Genesis' gift.

I had held onto it through the past five years and managed to keep it in good condition. I made sure to avoid damaging it as much as possible.

I brought my hand up to the ribbon and adjusted its place. After that, I couldn't help but think about Angeal and Genesis. It had been forever since I last saw them. Many questions flooded my head: How were they doing? Did they know I ran away? How much has happened since they left?

I then started to laugh as an idea popped itself into my head. Genesis and Angeal didn't know that I was here in Midgar. They also probably didn't know that I would try to join the Turks. I could definitely use that to my advantage and stage an awesome comeback!

Popping off my shoes, I lay back on the bed and began to fall asleep. I would get to that eventually.

* * *

_Author's note:_ Phew, I finally moved things ahead in the story. I actually had a bit of fun writing this chapter, trying to involve some different view points as well. I know that there are quite a few gaps in this chapter with the story including the characters and Sib's own abilities, but all will be revealed in due time! In the meantime, leave me some reviews with any comments or thoughts you might have! Kudos to all of you who have left me reviews so far!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Enter Shinra**

* * *

Being in Midgar was almost a scary reassurance for me. Looking at it, everything was still under heavy construction, a reminder that I still had time before anything bad would happen. The Shinra building itself stood out the most among the city of metal. A massive and imposing landmark, it was something that dominated the skyline of the city; any direction you went, it was nearly impossible to get lost on your way to the Shinra building.

Needless to say, I myself had no trouble making my way up to it which brought me to where I was now.

"Ahem" I cleared my throat.

The busty secretary sitting behind the front desk barely stopped typing at her computer as she raised her eyes from the screen to acknowledge my presence.

I decided to continue, "Hello, my name is Si—"

"If you are looking for the exhibit room, you'll find it down the left hallway that way," she interrupted pointing to my left.

"Actually, I'm here to see—"

"One moment," she rudely cut in holding up her hand. She stopped typing and shuffled behind her desk, pulling out a small stack of papers. "You need to fill out these identification forms," she said pointing to the first two papers with a pen, "and you must state your purpose here, how long you intend to stay, and—"

"That's fine, then. I'll get those filled out right now." I watched as she gaped for a moment as if she were a fish before reaching for the papers; I had to restrain myself from snatching them out of her grasp.

Right after I got the papers, the lady at the desk snapped out of it and began furiously typing at her computer once more, muttering underneath her breath, "rude kids…" Ignoring her, I walked over to a bench with a small table beside it and began the long process of filling out the papers.

My first impression of Shinra Electric Power Company: Very, very paranoid. That or uptight. The questions were varied with some being repeated but worded differently. It only took me ten minutes to fill it out before I returned to the front desk. During our last few weeks together, Vincent and Dr. Crescent spent some time to make sure that I would have all the information I needed to be as inconspicuous as possible.

I got up from my seat and made my way back to the desk, placing the papers down in front of the secretary. I waited patiently for a few seconds before she realized I had come back. When she noticed me, I could tell she looked peeved. She picked up the papers and briefly skimmed through them, seemingly not paying any attention to any details.

After waiting a while, she finally spoke. "I'm sorry, but the Mr. Veld is absent from work due to a family emergency and isn't due to return any time soon."

'_A family emergency?'_

She then put the paperwork in a massive stack in the bin beside her keyboard; it more than likely would not be looked at again for weeks. "Ok then. Can I leave my name for him?" I asked after the secretary turned back to her computer.

"Oh, you're still here," she responded, flicking her eyes back in my direction. At this point, there were a few other people in the lobby that were starting to look in our direction; I could feel their eyes boring a hole through my backside and it was making me uncomfortable. I didn't want to cause a scene, but that was the last straw.

"Look ma'am," I began calmly, "I understand that you see me as nothing but a child, but I would prefer it if you would maintain some professionalism with me for a moment. It is quite obvious that we would not like to deal with each other for much longer—"

"Why I never—!" She began saying defensively.

With a stern gaze, I held up a hand, silencing her immediately.

"Now, if you please," I said motioning to the computer, "The name is Sibyl Lasko. After you finish leaving a memo for Mr. Veld, we can both be on our way and pretend we didn't see each other." I could feel a small tic mark forming on my head; I had to stop myself from a complete outburst, otherwise I probably wouldn't be able to get anywhere inside the Shinra building for a while.

I so badly wanted to burn the frilly little bow off of her suit.

'_Idiot.'_

She now looked very pissed off, but had no other choice but to listen to me. She had just been owned by a girl about ten years her junior and there was even a small crowd to witness it. No sooner had she typed in my name, I saw a pop up box reflecting in her wide eyeglasses.

"Oh my," She began, looking a little stunned now. "Why didn't you mention your name sooner, we have been expecting you."

I resisted slamming my hand onto my face: if she hadn't cut me off from the beginning, we wouldn't have had to go through this whole fiasco.

"I'll have someone to send you to Mr. Veld's second in command—"

"Ya know, that's not necessary, Mey Lin."

Finally someone else decided to step in. I barely turned my head to glance at my savior before my hand was snatched up into an abrasive handshake.

"Nice ta meet ya kid," the person spoke, "name's Reno."

Instantly, I felt my anger subside and it became replaced with a smile. After regaining my balance from the handshake, I focused for a moment to look at him. Sure enough, the person now standing before me was Reno; with a tie-less and untucked shirt, the only thing that was different about him was that he was obviously a lot younger and more lanky. Even his fiery red hair retained its messy look.

My smile now widened into a broad grin as I introduced myself. "Hi there Reno, my name's Sibyl Lasko, but you can call me Sib!"

Mey Lin seemed to sputter a bit at the change in the situation. "I'll take it from here," Reno said to the secretary, winking. He briefly turned towards me one last time before he began walking away and said "Alrighty then, let's get a move on."

A few seconds later, we ended up on a grey, industrial elevator. I found myself marveling at the amount of buttons on the control panel; the Shinra building had a lot more floors than I thought it would. Being from a small town back home, I had never been in a building that reached above six stories high. Right after the doors closed, I watched as Reno reached into his back pocket, pulling out a card before waving it in front of a scanner and pressing one of the many different buttons. As the elevator began moving up, we remained in silence until Reno finally began speaking.

"Man, I couldn' help overhear you conversation, but you definitely won that one!"

He was talking about the secretary. I couldn't help but rub my temples a bit before responding. "I didn't even do anything yet she was being so difficult."

"Eh," Reno began responding casually, "I hear that President Shinra likes difficult women; that's probably why she's there."

I looked at Reno for a moment with one of my eyebrows raised. Did he just…make a perverted comment? I opened up my mouth a bit for a response, but I didn't know how to react, after all, I'd only just met the guy. I closed my mouth and frowned a little.

"Hey, hey," he said waving his hands defensively, "It's not actually true, yo. Besides, Mey Lin's usually pissy towards kids anyways." He then leaned up against the back of the elevator.

"Right…" I said skeptically eyeing him. He let out an amused chuckle at that.

After twiddling his fingers against the wall, he continued. "So, anyways, what brings ya to the office of the superiors?"

"Well," I looked at him, "I actually came here to join the Turks."

Reno sported a sly smirk on his face. "Oh, ya must be the one that Tseng was wanting to see! He's mentioned a few days back that he was expectin' a new face to show up soon." he said standing up straight, with a renewed look of interest in his eyes.

"Wait a second," I began asking, a little confused, "maybe he was talking about someone else? I only arrived in Midgar a few days back and didn't let anyone know I was here." I then thought on it some more. "Then again…" I mumbled to myself, "it was probably when I used my ID for the train…"

"Eh," Reno replied, "We have our ways." He kept the smirk on his face

I almost shuddered at the thought; the Turks were so well informed that it was scary. Could anything get past them?

"So," Reno continued, "What made ya choose the Turks, yo?"

"I'm here to help my friends as best I can." I replied, choosing my words carefully. "They joined SOLDIER a while back, and since then I wanted to work with them again, even if it is from the background. I have to be here, no matter what." I smiled at that thought. Perhaps I would see them very soon; I couldn't help but wonder if they missed me, even a little.

Reno whistled "Dead set on your goal, eh? Not gonna accept a no for an answer I take it?" He said, leaning forward towards me a bit.

"Got that right," I said back without blinking an eye.

There was only a break of silence before Reno started snickering. I fully turned to look at him. That's when he started full out laughing; I could even see tears forming in his eyes.

I was confused. "Hey, wait a second," I said frowning at him, "What's so funny?"

Shaking his head fast, he responded, "Ah, it's nothing." Reno then moved a few steps over before slinging his arm around my shoulder. "Ya know what? I like ya already!" I felt my knees buckle with the extra weight.

"Reno!" I said sharply.

"Whoops, sorry yo." He said before straightening up again. "Wait a second, how old are you again?"

"I'm…" I had to think for a second, "Thirteen."

"That's cool, you'll fit right in. Heh, hope we get ta keep ya!"

The elevator doors pinged before they opened, signaling that we had reached our destination.

"After you," Reno said smirking.

Right as we stepped off, however, I heard a beeping noise. I turned to see Reno pull out a cell phone from his waist pocket. He flipped open the screen for a moment before promptly shutting it and shoving it back into his pocket.

"Damn, looks like I gotta go, yo." He looked at me before I could say anything else and began speaking quickly. "Ok, here's what you gotta do: walk down this hallway, and turn right, you'll come to a door that has a nameplate on it that says 'Tseng'. That's where you'll want ta be. You got all that right?"

"Yeah, seems simple enough!" I couldn't help but responded just as fast. I watched with slight amusement as he jumped back on the elevator, jabbing at the button in a rush. As the doors closed, Reno looked at me once more before giving me a small salute saying "See ya around, yo."

I blinked for a moment. "Did that actually just happen?" I didn't expect to run into Reno so soon; heck, I didn't even know when he joined up with the Turks in the first place.

Shaking my head, I decided to focus on the task at hand. "Ok, he said down this hallway to the right…" I began walking down the grey hallway. It was almost completely silent save for the hum of the lights and the sound of my shoes against the tiled floors. Listening to that was starting to make me a little jittery; it was eerie.

After what seemed like forever, I finally stood in front of the door I was looking for. I could hear muffled voices behind the door as I reached out a hand to knock on it. As soon as my knuckles met the cold, charcoal colored wood, one of the voices went silent as I heard the other speak up. "Come in."

I carefully opened the door before sticking my head in. I found my eyes adjusting to the change in scenery; compared to the monochromatic color in the hallways, the office was decorated with wooden panels on the walls.

Two pairs of eyes looked at me expectantly. "Hello," I began, stepping in the room all the way, "My name is Sibyl Lasko, and I'm looking for Mr. Tseng." Right away, my eyes locked on the person I sought; he sat behind a rather large desk in the center of the room watching me with an expression that revealed very little.

"Tseng will do just fine." He responded.

Glancing away from me for a second, he then addressed the blonde-haired gentleman in the pinstriped suit that stood across from him. "It appears that we'll have to finish this conversation some other time, director."

I watched as the other man, the director apparently, nodded his head in agreement before walking out the door. As I stepped out of his way, he gave me a friendly smile before shutting the door behind him with an audible 'click'.

"We have been wondering for quite some time if you were going to show up, Miss Lasko. Please have a seat," Tseng said coolly as he intertwined his fingers together on his desk.

I would have raised my eyebrows in suspicion at that statement had I not known how thoroughly the Turks kept tabs on everything. I must have had my name written down on a list ever since I met Veld those few years back.

I walked over to the chair and slowly sat down placing my bag at my side all the while keeping my gaze fixed forward on Tseng.

"Now, would you mind enlightening me on how it is that you found your way here?"

For a split second, he looked genuinely curious before erasing the expression from his face. From that I could guess that he didn't know I was in the building. Then again, the floor that I was on was also probably restricted. I restrained myself from laughing at that as I thought about it; did I manage to actually surprise Tseng? I thought the guy was as emotionless as a doorknob.

"Well Sir," I responded hiding my amusement, "Reno let me in."

Tseng sighed. "That explains it," He said quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. He looked back at me before explaining. "He was supposed to leave fifteen minutes earlier on an assignment to Wutai."

I looked at him questioningly; why was he telling me this?

"Ironically," Tseng went on, "I believe on of your childhood friends was on that helicopter as well."

I nearly jumped out of my seat in excitement. "Who was it? Genesis? Angeal? How are they? Do you know?" It took me a moment before realizing that Tseng had gone silent watching me. Quickly I corrected myself. "I'm sorry, Sir. I got a little carried away. The truth is I haven't been able to hear from them in these past five years." I smiled apologetically.

"That is quite alright," Tseng said, "it is my fault to have dragged this conversation off topic." He sat back for a moment in his chair. "Actually, it is my understanding that one of them has received a promotion to Commander recently and the other one is not too far off, though it may be quite a while before you're reunited with them."

"Wow, already soaring through the ranks, huh? It sounds like they're doing well." I said thoughtfully.

"Now then, enough of that, let us proceed," Tseng said. His tone had become serious. I too straightened up in my seat as he said that.

"It is my understanding that you want to work for the company as a Turk," He said not breaking eye contact once. "Under normal circumstances the head of the department, Veld, would be conducting this sort of interview, but unfortunately he is incapable of doing so at the moment." He paused for a moment before pulling up several files on his computer. "Before we continue, your intentions for joining the Turks are quite clear, but are you aware of what it is that we Turks do as a part of this company?"

"Yes Sir," I said calmly. "The Turks play many roles for the Shinra Company, ranging from small tasks such as intel gathering or acting as bodyguards to other things like assassinations or kidnappings."

Tseng nodded his head in conformation. "Being a member of the Turks is not something to be taken lightly. Once you are in, there is no going back. Are you sure that this is what you want?"

"Sir," I began, looking Tseng straight in the eye, "Ever since I was small, I wanted to join the Turks. That is one thing that still hasn't changed." I smiled slightly to myself; what I had said wasn't false in the slightest. When I first saw them in Final Fantasy 7, I always thought that the Turks looked so badass. Mentioning that to my brother, I remember him saying that he could see me as a Turk.

How bittersweet it was now. Brother wasn't exactly around, but I could imagine him laughing his ass off, shouting at me, "I knew it!"

Wonder if he'd believe me if I told him? I guess I would have to wait and find out.

"Very well then," Tseng said getting up from his chair, "In that case, would you please wait here for one moment?" He proceeded to walk out the door, leaving me alone in the office.

The moment he left, I couldn't help but think to myself, '_How would Genesis and Angeal react to me being a Turk?_'

I snapped myself out of it, shaking my head a little; I had to focus right now. I couldn't afford to mess up this meeting. I already distracted myself enough by asking about them.

I refocused my thoughts.

Vincent had told me as much as he could remember about how the Turks did their recruiting; he had even given me a few pointers. I knew that next thing would be some paperwork and then I would go through some thorough field test afterwards. Over all, Vincent reassured me that it was nothing to worry about.

After that thought, I waited in silence for a few minutes.

What was it that Tseng could be doing that was taking so long? It was actually starting to make me nervous.

I glanced around the room in slight irritation as I listened to the slow and steady ticking of the clock echoing off the walls; no matter what happened I needed to stand my ground.

I let out a sigh, trying to ease my tension.

Then the door at last opened and I turned around to see Tseng reenter; I especially took note of the amount paperwork in his hands. "Now Miss Lasko after the paperwork is filled out, we will begin discussing your test trial." He placed the small stack of papers in front of me and produced a pen from his pocket, handing it to me.

I looked over the papers carefully; I quickly determined that it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I glanced at the clock to check the time; it was still around ten o'clock. I figured that at this rate, I would be finished in no time flat. I nearly breathed out a sigh of relief.

As I started filling out the papers in front of me, Tseng spoke again. "Be sure to let me know when you are done with those preliminary papers," he said. I paused for a moment with the pen in my hand and looked up as Tseng turned around and opened the drawer to a small filing cabinet.

"Preliminary papers?" I questioned quietly to myself.

Apparently Tseng heard me, because he spoke up once more, "Yes, those are the necessary forms to begin your formal background check." I then watched as he hefted out a stack of papers the size of a phonebook from the filing cabinet. "This," he said plopping the stack on the desk, "is your aptitude test. In the weeks that you will begin your test trial, this test will be assessed and later combined with the observations and results from the trial."

I looked at the paperwork and felt my heart drop. Then I cursed quietly to myself.

'_Goddammit Vincent!_'

But on second thought, I personally failed to think about how much the Turks could have changed since Vincent had left.

Putting the pen back to the paper, I began filling out the forms, albeit with less enthusiasm. As soon as I finished, Tseng handed me the other stack of papers; the official test. Weighing it in my hands, I couldn't help but feel my mouth form into a concentrated frown. Out of the corner of my eye, I could tell that Tseng was watching me intently. Even if he didn't show it, Tseng probably had a smug look on his face.

At this rate now, I knew I would be lucky if I finished this before the sun went down.

* * *

...

My eyes were blurry, my stomach was growling, and my head was killing me.

Miraculously, I had just finished filling in the final answer on the test and now found myself staring blankly at the last page. Relief started to wash over me as I realized it was finally over.

I looked up to Tseng at his desk; about a quarter way through the test, he had turned away to some paperwork, all the while keeping an eye on me. I kept my own eyes cast on his figure a while longer before he stopped looking at his computer.

"You have finished?" he said breaking the silence.

I nodded my head, with my expression remaining flat. I handed him the stack of papers and stood up slowly after prying the pen out of my cramped fingers; I felt the blood gradually flowing back into my legs and stretched my arms a little. That test was worse than any exam, standardized test, and college entrance test combined.

I had sat for more than six hours staring at a piece of paper, pouring out all the knowledge I knew. One thing that confused me was that some sections I went through didn't even seem to belong in it and read more like it was part of an etiquette lesson. And not once had I stopped for a snack or the restroom during the entire thing and I certainly was feeling the aftermath of it now.

Tseng allowed me a ten minute break before we had to continue. I had never been so grateful in my life for a gesture as small as that.

As I quenched my throat at a nearby water fountain, I wondered if all of the Turks had to go through the same process. I cringed at the thought. No matter, I knew that I would at least never have to take that test again.

That is, unless I somehow failed it.

I walked back into the office, shutting the door quietly behind me before finding myself back in the same seat I was in before. I waited patiently for Tseng to start explaining the next part of my testing.

"Now that the first part is done, I will brief you on your next task which is to start immediately after this."

As I listened to him speak, my face retained its' numb expression while I started to cry on the inside: I didn't get a longer break?

"This test will serve as a measure of your skill in the field; your ability to blend in, process real-time information and situations, and so on and so forth."

I shook my head in understanding; what he was saying so far made sense. I would be tested next for what I could actually do on my own.

Tseng continued, "In recent weeks, it has come to our attention that top-level secrets about Shinra technology are being distributed to outside groups. You will be sent undercover as a cadet to the military academy to find the source of the leak while remaining unnoticed. How you deal with the task assigned to you will determine whether or not you are indeed material for the Turks."

After he finished, I began contemplating what I had just been told. I would be dropped—on my own—in the Shinra Military Academy undercover in order to find the person who was spilling company secrets. The gears in my mind slowly began to race. For one thing, my long time question about women in SOLDIER was answered. For another, I would be going into a military school which would mean a lot of physical training; I knew I'd be fine with most of it, but put a rifle in my hands or give me a sword and shit would be guaranteed to hit the fans.

It would definitely be challenging to say the least.

I brought my attention back to Tseng before confirming what I just heard. "So I have to go undercover and find the leak source. What do I do once I've found it and how long would I have?"

Tseng's response was brief. "Once you find the source, leave the rest to us. As for how long you will be given, at most thirty days."

"What about what other cadets would say, or the teachers? I'm sure they would notice if I showed up from out of nowhere. And I don't even know the first thing about what the academy is like."

"No need to think about that, there is already a solid alibi for your absence. Regarding the matter of how to act in the academy, if you'll recall, that was explained in your first test. That said, your ability to recall will also be something detrimental to this trial."

It clicked; the odd sections of the test did mention a lot about Shinra and its Academy. "Oh," I replied in realization.

"You will retain most of your previous background with the exception of your name and you are not to speak about your relation to Hewley and Rhapsodos as it will attract unnecessary attention. Now then, if you have no further questions," Tseng said reaching beneath his desk pulling out a small package, "I will need you to put on this uniform." He handed me the small package and dismissed me from the room.

I walked quickly to the restroom and opened the package. Inside was a button up shirt along with navy blue, long pants and a cap. After sliding on my new uniform, I deposited my old clothing my bag. I then straightened up the collar of my shirt before picking up the cap and strolling back to Tseng's office once more with the reality of what I had to do next finally setting in.

Tseng inspected the uniform for a moment. "Good," he said. "Now I will need you to hand over your belongings. I assume you brought everything here with you?"

I looked at him for a second wide-eyed. Was he asking me to give up my bag? My possessions? I felt myself break out into a cold sweat; if anything over the past few years, I had come to see my stuff as my lifeline on Gaia, and here Tseng was, asking me to casually hand them over.

As if sensing my distress, Tseng added, "There is no need to worry, everything will be documented and kept locked up safe until you are finished, unless there is something you don't want us to see?"

Immediately I shook my head no. "I'm fine with having others see my stuff, but I'm not really too anxious about being separated from them; I depend on some of that stuff a lot."

"I assure you then that nothing inherently bad has a chance of happening. Now, if you please," He said motioning to his desk.

Reluctantly, I took my bag off my shoulder and placed it down on the wooden surface. I began taking out the contents one by one, first placing my clothing I previously wore on the desk along with my three materia, the pair of sunglasses, my money pouch, and lastly my small personal book. Hesitating for only a split second I placed it on the desk in line with everything else.

I watched as Tseng looked at the contents of my bag. His eyes lingered on my book for a moment before he picked it up and opened it. "What sort of book is this?" he asked without the slightest bit of curiosity. "It is handwritten."

Being careful not to respond to fast, I noted "It's a gardening book, Sir. I picked it up from a small second-hand store in Corel when I was traveling on my own. Thought it would be handy for recognizing edible plants and such." I paused for a moment before continuing. "It's actually pretty interesting. You could read it if you like."

"Maybe some other time," Tseng responded as he put the book back down.

I put everything back in the bag and as I was about to hand it back over, Tseng spoke up again. "You will also have to remove you hairband. I'm afraid that no personal belongings are allowed into the academy."

"This?" I said pulling the ribbon off my head. I ran my fingers over it as I held it in my hands. "I don't think I could part with it." I said staring at it fondly. Before Tseng said anything else, I decided to explain. "Parting with something like my materia is one thing, but this... it was a gift, something I treasure." I brought my eyes up away from the ribbon back to Tseng. "Is there any way I can keep it with me? I'll make sure to keep it out of sight, but I just want to have it on me." That ribbon was dear to my heart. I considered it a symbol of my first friendship on this planet and I would never be able to forgive myself if I lost it. I had even managed to keep it in great shape over the years despite all the wandering and the training I did.

After a moment, Tseng sighed and responded. "I suppose we could allow one exception."

"Thank you so much!" I said clasping my hands together in relief. I bent over and quickly tied the ribbon to my ankle, replacing my boot back on my foot and repositioning the fabric of the long pants over it. "There. Out of sight." I said back to Tseng with a smile.

"In a moment an officer will arrive to 'return' you to your barracks. Until then, I suggest you read over this file; it contains most of what you will need to pull off this task." He produced yet another packet of papers from his desk.

I had more reading to do; my eye twitched just looking at it. In no time, the office once again was engulfed in silence as I started reading again.

Ten minutes lapsed by and my time was up. There was a knock at the door and I immediately handed the file to Tseng and stood up straight.

"Enter," Tseng said.

I placed my cap on my head just as the door opened and a woman stepped in …Or at least I was pretty sure she was. She donned what I immediately recognized as a SOLDIER uniform, complete with a helmet on her head. It obscured most of her face, but I could see some strands of orangy-red hair poking out the back of her helmet.

"Ah, 2nd Class Frey, I've found one of your cadets who seems to have gotten lost." He looked back at me without batting an eye. "Cadet Elnora Carney, I trust you won't get lost anymore, especially after the last incident."

I blinked a moment before I responded. "uh," I stuttered for a moment, "yes Sir!"

I was nearly blown away when the 2nd class SOLDIER spoke; "Thank you for finding her. I'll be sure to keep a closer eye on her." I turned my head to get a better look at her. She sounded really young and she seemed about my height as well, if not only a little taller. In fact, I'd wager that she was my age.

"Come along Carney, we must keep on schedule." She said effectively breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Yes Ma'am!" I shouted as I made sure to bring my hand up in a salute.

She began walking out of the office. I began to follow her out, but not before sending one glance back in Tseng's direction. He gave me a reassuring nod and soon after closed the door behind me.

We walked down the hallway to the elevator, back towards the way I originally came from.

I briefly went back over the information I had read over in a short amount of time. I was apparently to act as a cadet that was transferred to a new squad. My previous squad ended up being disbanded due to the inadequacy of the other SOLDIER candidates.

I couldn't help but glance at the SOLDIER walking a bit in front of me. The way she acted, she had to have known something...Not to mention, I'm pretty sure there was a different meaning in her and Tseng's conversation.

That was it; She had to be an undercover Turk!

I thought some more.

There was no way I would be left all by myself to handle this kind of situation; Shinra wouldn't risk having the informant get away. After all, this was supposed to be one big test. I reminded myself that from the get go, everything seemed rushed; it probably had to have been that way to see how well I'd be able to do last minute things.

That definitely explained things a lot more.

And when I came to the Shinra building today, I certainly didn't expect to be swept up into this mess.

I looked up as we made our way back onto the elevator. I noted that we were on floor 51 of the building. I watched the number overtop of the door go down as the elevator began moving. Soon, it stopped at floor 43 and the doors opened.

As we walked out, Frey began speaking. "I am escorting you to your new barracks. You are a part of squad 5 now and will remain with them for the rest of your time here. You'll find the women's lavatory down this hall to your left." She stopped in front of a door, pulling out a card and a piece of paper and presenting them to me.

"This is a keycard for your use only; it serves as your identification for access to other facilities here in the academy. And this will be your new class schedule. Keep in mind that no weapons or fighting are allowed in the barracks and curfew is at 2100."

I looked at her, processing the information she just gave me. "Is this all I'll need, Ma'am?" I asked, not breaking eye contact.

"Yes," she responded, eyes locked with my gaze. "If you have any questions, I will not be far. Are you ready to be introduced to your new squad?"

"Yes Ma'am." I replied.

I looked briefly at the clock; it was nearly six o'clock.

I stifled a yawn. Already, I couldn't wait to go to sleep. My head was still spinning from the testing earlier and from the amount of information I had just been given. I managed to at least come to one conclusion from today; trying to get hired by the Turks was hell so far.

I shook my head again.

Too much in one day; it was like they were purposely trying to scare me away.

Bringing back my attention to reality, I waited outside the room as the '2nd Class' went in ahead of me.

"Attention!" I heard her command. I listened as I heard people shuffling into place in a loud ruckus. "At ease! As you all have been informed, Squad Five has received a new member. I'd like to introduce Cadet Elnora Carney previously of Squad Thirteen."

She stepped aside, letting me enter the room. I walked in to see about fourteen other people dressed in the same uniform I was; all cadets. Judging by the way they looked, some of them varied in ages and stature. Much to my surprise, there were at least three other girls there too.

They were watching me, waiting for me to say something.

"Ah," I said nervously, "Hello everyone, I'm excited to be a part of your group!"

"I expect everyone to be present in the dining hall as a group at 1800," Frey then said, "Dismissed." With that, she exited the room leaving me in a crowd of strangers.

As soon as the door shut, a couple of the cadets spoke up.

"Hah! I was right, pay up!" A brunette one said.

"Man, I thought for sure it was gonna be a guy!" a dirty-blonde cadet responded. He hung his head in disappointment with a few others groaning in response.

"Bixby cheated, I swear."

I watched as some of them pulled Gil out of their pockets before handing it to the first cadet identified as Bixby. The other cadets started shuffling around again with some returning to their beds and others sitting in small groups on the floor.

"So," the dirty-blonde cadet approached me, "You're from Squad Thirteen, huh? It's quite an unlucky number. How exactly did it get disbanded again?" He asked. "I've heard a lot of rumors going around about it."

"Oh, um, it was a combination of things," I said making it up off the top of my head. "One of the instructors one day just blew a gasket over how lazy some of the cadets were and it just sorta went from there." I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

"Geeze," he responded. "Oh, the name's Luxiere by the way!" He said holding out his hand.

"I'm Carney, as you heard. Nice to meet you!" I said eagerly, shaking his hand.

I had never interacted with other people my age on Gaia without them treating me weirdly. Walking into the room and seeing all of the Cadets faces' almost began to remind me of the last time I had dealt with others my age, the children in Banora. This situation was different though; was I already being accepted by them?

"Hey, Luxiere, I'm gonna go sit down. I've had a rather long day." I said.

"Oh, yeah, I understand. PT class can be very taxing, eh?"

I simply shook my head in agreement before making my way over to the opposite side of the room. After being intercepted by a few more people, I finally made it. The room itself had been divided by a small wall; probably with the specific purpose of privacy in mind for the other three girl-cadets. Sure enough, there was an open bunk in the corner.

After I finished fitting the bed with covers, I flopped down onto the bed still in my whole uniform and fell asleep.

Only a few minutes later, I was woken up by one of the girls and the whole squad marched down to the dining hall.

* * *

...

After grabbing a tray and filling it with a hefty amount of food, I found myself sitting at in the middle of a long table with two of the girls from my squad. As I ate, a lot of my new squad mates bombarded me with questions, asking me mostly about my previous squad. It was hard at first to answer, but soon it became easy after I figured out what to say.

"Hey Carney?" The brunette haired girl known as Abbott spoke up, "Where are you from originally anyways?"

Out of the corner of my eyes I could see a few of the other cadets lean in closer to hear.

"I'm from Banora," I replied finishing up a bite of my food. Looking at my tray, I would admit that the food quality sucked in this dining hall, but I was still hungry enough to not complain.

Right after I said that, a bunch of the cadets nearly exploded with excitement; I nearly choked on the bread in my mouth in surprise.

"You're from Banora!?" Abbott nearly shouted.

"Did you know 1st Class Hewely?" Luxiere asked.

"How about Commander Rhapsodos!?" Another cut in.

"Hey hold on a sec!" I threw my hands up, " One at a time! It's kind of overwhelming, you know!" I stopped for a moment to breathe before continuing. "I remember seeing them a few times, but…unfortunately I didn't really know them that well. They kept to themselves mostly." I lied.

A lot of the cadets' expressions dropped a little.

"Still, that's cool." A redhead named Connor said.

The remainder of dinner went by like that. I got wrapped up in so many different conversations that I barely recalled the reason I was there in the first place. It had been so long since I had last been with so many people. As I finished off the last of my food, I thought to myself for a moment, breaking away from the chaos around me.

I needed to begin finding a way to locate the informant. So far nothing seemed out of—

"Hey Carney, after we head back, want to join us for a card game?" Abbott disrupted my thoughts.

I glanced at her for a second before responding. "Yeah, sure! It sounds fun!"

I watched as she went to put away her tray.

_'Maybe… I could just spend a few days to adjust to things here_.'

With that thought, I picked up my tray and walked over to the dish return. Placing it down, I heard someone shouting behind me.

"Hey Fair! Glad to see you got out of the infirmary ok. Didn't mean to hit you so hard." The voice said. I didn't pay any mind to it and kept walking. A moment later I heard the same person shouting behind me again, this time closer.

"Fair, wait! Are you giving me the cold shoulder or something? I said I was sorry man!"

I then turned around to look at who was talking and found myself facing a stalky cadet with brown hair and green eyes.

"Oh, you're not Fair," he said in realization. "You kind of looked the same from behind so I guessed…Hang on a second, you don't look a thing like him. Actually, you look pretty small for a guy."

"I'm a girl," I said back slightly irritated. I knew that my hair was extremely short, but did that really have to mean I was a guy?

"Ah! Sorry about that!" He quickly supplied in embarrassment. "You actually have a really pretty face and—"

"Kunsel, there you are! I've been looking for you forever!" another voice cut in. I watched as another cadet appeared; he had a small brace tied around his wrist and black hair like mine poking out from beneath his hat which obscured his face. "Man, Kunsel, it sounds like you're really having a hard time picking up girls," he said jokingly.

"That's not what I—nevermind. Your wrist isn't too badly hurt, is it?" Kunsel asked after stuttering a moment.

"Nah, it's fine," The boy said holding up the hand with the brace. "See? A quick cure and some rest overnight and it'll be gone!" He said triumphantly.

Kunsel then turned his attention back towards me as I stood there watching them talk. "Oh, uh, my name is Kunsel. You're in the fifth squad, right?"

I nodded my head yes. "Elnora Carney, pleased to meet you!"

"The name's Zack Fair, at your service!" The other boy chimed in. I felt my heart almost stop as I finally got a good look at the boy's face.

It was THE Zack Fair. I had to stop my mouth from dropping down; I was meeting Cloud Strife's future best friend.

I watched his soft blue eyes as he tilted his head in confusion, almost like how a dog would.

"Hey," he began speaking. He raised his hand thoughtfully to his chin before taking a step closer.

"Is something the matter?" I asked warily. He was looking at me really funny.

"Do I…know you from somewhere?" He then said uncertainly.

"I don't think so," I replied back rather confused.

"I know I've never seen her before!" Kunsel added.

"It's just… I guess you sort of remind me of someone I used to know, but then again…why can't I place the name?" His eyebrows furrowed a little bit. Suddenly he snapped out of it and grinned. "Eh, I guess it can't be helped then!" He laughed. "I guess it's another mystery for future SOLDIER Zack Fair to handle!" he said flashing me a thumbs up.

I laughed a little at his actions, Kunsel did too.

His confusion certainly disappeared in a flash.

"Hey," Kunsel said to Zack, "We should be getting back to the barracks soon."

"Yeah, you're right. Got to get ready for tomorrow already—I still can't believe that the new classes start soon," Zack said enthusiastically. He turned back to me, "See ya later then, Nora!"

I waved as I watched them walk away before rejoining my squad as they too walked back to the barracks.

This day was certainly more than what I originally thought it would be; my brain was definitely fried from it all.

* * *

**Extra**

**?**

"I tell ya, it was the funniest thing ever to see Mey Lin shown up like that! You should have seen it." Reno chatted excitedly above the noise of the engine

"I probably would have Reno, except we have a war we're fighting right now." Angeal said back.

It had been a few hours into their flight before Reno had begun talking non-stop about a new recruit showing up. Angeal was starting to get a little worried, not for Reno—he had already known the young Turk for a few months now—but rather it was his flying that had him concerned; He was distracted and they were flying closer to a war zone. The other SOLDIERs looked visibly irritated with Reno as well.

"It was so funny though! The kid was basically talking down an adult who was nearly twice her age!"

That sentence made Angeal stop for a moment to think. It sounded exactly like Sibyl, but she had disappeared a while back. Could it be?

"What was the name of this person?" Angeal asked hopefully.

"Ya know? I can't remember. She had short black hair though!"

Angeal's eyes widened a bit. Had one of his old friends just reappeared?

For a moment, he thought about telling Genesis about the new development when he reached Wutai, but on second thought there was a chance that it wasn't her. He and Genesis had been in disbelief at first when they finally found out; it had already been a year since she ran away. Since then, He and Genesis heard nothing from or about her. The whole ordeal had been maddening for them both.

He let out a sigh as Reno continued blabbering. He couldn't get this new recruit out of his mind now. Perhaps Genesis would be able to find out? He was supposed to be returning on leave in a few weeks to Midgar.

"I'll tell ya though, I saw what kind of plans Tseng had for her recruitment, and man am I glad I got recruited early, yo."

"Just focus on flying Reno!" a 2nd Class piped up angrily.

* * *

_Author's note:_ This chapter was a long one! A lot of 7's characters are starting to make their official appearance as Sib finally come to join the Turks! I tried not to rush through certain details and feel like I did a pretty good job at it. Over all, Sib's test is designed for the Turks to gauge her abilities; Sib being in the military academy will only last a few chapters though, not many!

Please let me know what you guys think! Hopefully this chapter isn't to confusing.

And for those of you who are wondering, the 'gardening' book from Sib's bag was indeed her little handbook from the Doc; she coded it.

See ya'll next time,

~BlueCampanula


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Swordplay**

* * *

**...**

I groaned a little as I shifted my stance to accommodate the weight of the sword I was holding. It was a training replica of the standard Shinra sword that was commonly utilized by all different classes. It was a sword that anybody, especially recruits, could learn to wield in the most effective and deadly way. That being said, I completely and utterly sucked at it.

After my first week of being in the Shinra Military Academy, I quickly determined for myself that I wasn't cut out for the SOLDIER program. The usual day would start off with runs, varying from long distance to sprinting; I hated it. By the time that was over, it would be followed by three classes and then technical work after that. The classes I didn't mind so much, but the technical part was awful; I found that my movements with the sword were unusually sluggish and sloppy looking. Needless to say, after the first day of sparring, I came out covered head to toe in bruises that boasted all the colors of the rainbow.

In addition to all the bruises I got, I also managed to compile as much information I could come by over the past week. I started with the people around me, getting to know a bit about them. All in all, there were only a select few who seemed to stand out a little from the rest, but that wasn't much to go on. I was at a dead end with my search; the only thing left that I could do at this point to get more information was to do some snooping on my own.

It wasn't going to be fun.

Turning my attention back to the current situation, I started walking over to my sparring partner, Abbott. Her full name, I learned, was Abbott Sterling; Age fourteen, from a small merchant family in Junon. Gets along well with most anyone but can't stand perverts.

My attention was brought to someone else as I walked across the gym; he was heading in my direction. My mind immediately pulled up his information.

Captain Lysander was what we addressed him by; a student favorite among the rest of the instructors in the academy. The man appeared to be in his thirties with sand brown hair and grey eyes and had remarkable patience for his students. Background: SOLDIER, class unknown.

I could only ask so many questions without looking suspicious.

"Yes sir?" I questioned as he came towards me.

Cadet, I am assigning you to a new sparring partner. You are to go to training area eight."

I felt my shoulders slump slightly; I was pretty sure that I was being moved because my skill with the sword was horrible. He was probably placing me with someone else who was just as bad as I was...Or putting me up against someone far more skilled than I was.

I didn't know which idea was worse.

"This is not a punishment, cadet," He said as he read my expression. "It is merely to add variety to your fighting. Perhaps it would do you some good to have a little change in your routine."

With that, he walked off to some of the other cadets and I turned around and began walking the opposite way I came. Already other cadets started sparring as I walked by. I picked up my pace and in less than a few seconds, I made it to my destination. After looking around, I quickly realized that no one was there.

I sighed.

"Hey, Nora!" Someone spoke up behind me. I perked up; I knew that voice. Turning around, I saw none other than Zack Fair approaching me.

"Am I sparring with you today?" He asked with his blue eyes sparkling in excitement.

"What do you know…I guess I am?" I said uncertainly.

After meeting him on the first day, I started seeing a lot more of Zack. As it turned out, Zack and I ended up sharing a class and both of our squads were in the same grouping for tactics. How to describe him…For one thing, he definitely fit his future nickname: Zack the Puppy. He was a really sweet kid, even if he was a bit on the hyper side. I also discovered he didn't like sitting in one place for too long.

"To give you a heads up, I'm not too good with a sword." I said with a dry laugh.

"Oh come on, you can't be all that bad." He grinned. "Besides, everyone needs practice to get better."

Zack started walking over to the center of the sparing circle with me following behind him.

"You're saying that just because you haven't seen me fight yet." I snorted in response. He was starting to sound like my brother.

"We'll see about that," Zack said dropping into a stance and raising his sword.

"Oh dear…" I mumbled.

I reluctantly placed my other hand on the handle of my own blade before hefting it up to a ready position. With a simple nod of my head, we started.

I took a step forward with my boots landing hard on the metal flooring and swung first, aiming to land a blow on Zack's arm. Without a doubt, he blocked it easily with only a flick of his wrist. I kept my eyes locked on my opponent as he moved to return the attack.

In the blink of an eye, I barely had time to raise my sword to guard against a well-placed strike to my left shoulder and even less time to dodge the second one. I side stepped, nearly losing my balance as Zack's blade grazed by my arm.

"Hey, see? You're not too bad!" Zack said quickly as he ducked underneath my next attack.

"That's because—"

I jumped out of the way of his next move.

"—going easy on me!" I huffed out. Taking in a deep breath, I charged towards Zack to land a sweeping blow; that was my first mistake. I left my front completely exposed. My second mistake was that I leaned forward too much to counteract the weight of my own sword.

The next thing I knew, I felt like I was slapped across the stomach before losing my balance and landing face down on the floor in a heap with my sword clanging to the ground next to me.

"Oogfh." I breathed out as I lay sprawled on the ground.

"Are you alright?!" Zack shouted. I turned my head a little in his direction and realized that he already was kneeling down next to me, shaking my shoulder a little.

It took me a moment to register what he said before I responded.

"I'm fine…Had the wind knocked out of me is all."

Zack then reached out his hand to me. I looked at him briefly before I grabbed his hand and was swiftly pulled up off the ground.

"Thanks for that," I said with a smile. I dusted of my pants and readjusted my cap. "Told you I was horrible."

"Eh," Zack said, "I thought you did pretty well. It was only your footing on that last move that threw you off." He paused for a moment before thinking and adding, "You know, you really shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

I looked at him and shook my head. "It's just; I don't understand how you can move so easily. This sword makes me feel like I'm hefting around a fifty pound sand bag!" I said in exasperation. I reached down and picked up said sword.

"If it helps any, try moving your feet quicker. Works for me so it might work for you," He looked at me and grinned. He stopped for a moment and tilted his head a little. "What's that?" He said pointing down.

I looked before seeing a piece of the crimson ribbon sticking out underneath my pant leg. "Oh, whoops," I said hastily stooping down and tucking it back in my boot. "Uh," I stood back up, "Don't mind that, it's just a memento…"

"From what?" he asked curiously.

"An old friend back home. Please don't tell anyone, I'm not really allowed to have this here," I rubbed the back of my head nervously.

"Hey, not to worry, your secret is safe with me!" He said proudly. "Oh yeah," he said changing the topic, "Where are you from again?"

"Banora."

"Oh! That's pretty far down south, isn't it? Just farmland, right? Wait a second, isn't that where 1st class Hewley and Rhapsodos are from?"

"Hm…yes, yes, and yes." I said responding to his questions.

"That's so cool!" He said in awe. "I actually saw 1st class Hewley about less than two weeks ago. He came to help my squad with sword techniques and everything!" He continued talking rapidly.

"You met Angeal?" I said before I could stop myself.

"Wait a second," he paused in his rant, "Do you know him? Oh! I know, he's the friend you were talking about!" He said excitedly.

"Hey, slow it down Zack!" I said waving my hands at him. I didn't want to drag any attention to our little sparring ring, especially from the other cadets. "I never said that."

The kid was right on the money though, and it didn't take that many words for him to leap to such a conclusion. Zack was either a damn brilliant genius or a lucky guesser; I didn't know which was the right answer, but I was hoping for the latter. Not wanting him to jump to any more conclusions, I continued speaking.

"I knew him, but I wasn't exactly friends with him."

Just as Zack opened his mouth to say more, our conversation was abruptly ended.

"Attention!" A voice snapped across the room.

Zack and I turned towards the middle of the sparring floor. All the other cadets as well stopped what they were doing, turning their full attention to Captain Lysander.

"You all have done an excellent job for today," he began.

Wow. Five hours had already passed? I looked at Zack and he looked equally surprised as everyone else. I then squinted to see the clock perched on the far , the five hours hadn't passed.

We were being let off early!

"I have one brief announcement to make before you are dismissed. Tomorrow has been deemed a day for rest and as such you all are free to do what you please, but within reason." At that his stern face showed a little bit of a smile. "That is all I have to say, you are dismissed now."

With that, the silence was broken and all of the cadets started talking excitedly, some were even cheering.

"What do ya know!" Zack said slinging an arm around my shoulder. "This is the first day off we've had since…forever!"

"Hey Zack, talk about luck, am I right?" Kunsel said as he approached us with a broad smile on his face.

"I could use a break," I winced a little unconsciously rubbing my stomach; my ribs had been hit too with that blow.

"Oh, uh," Zack said in realization, "Sorry about that…Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," I said waving off his comment, "I'll be fine!"

_Grnnnnnnnnnngh_

I felt my cheeks turn red as I found Zack and Kunsel's full attention drawn on me.

"What was…?" Kunsel trailed off.

"Man, Nora," Zack broke in, "it sounds like you have a wolf for a stomach! You must be really hungry, huh?"

He started laughing with Kunsel joining in soon after.

"Yeah, yeah, I am kinda hungry." I said slightly rolling my eyes.

"Alright then, let's put up the swords and get going! The cafeteria's still probably empty right now too!" Zack said happily.

"I gotta get back to my squad then. See you guys later!" I said as I turned to walk away.

"Hey, wait a second Carney!" Kunsel said.

I quickly turned back around. "Yeah?"

"Um, I was just thinking, maybe the three of us could go around Midgar tomorrow? What do you say?" He said with a lopsided grin.

"I'm definitely in!" Zack chimed.

"Seeing more of Midgar…" I started wondering. I hadn't seen much of the city at all, especially since I arrived at night when I first got here. I even focused on staying out of sight till I was ready to head for the Shinra building. Then again, my first and utmost priority was the test.

"Come on, it's not like you have anything else to do, right? Everybody else is probably gonna go too." Zack added.

"Ah, what the heck," I looked at Kunsel, "I'll take you up on that offer."

"Yes!" Kunsel fist pumped. "Ok, we'll meet you after breakfast tomorrow then!"

"Sounds good to me!" I said grinning in response. "Later!" I waved a hand over my shoulder as I ran to put away my sword and catch up with the rest of my squad; they were already walking out the door without me. Just as I got closer to them, I was stopped once again.

"Cadet Carney."

I turned to face Lysander.

He continued. "How did you fair today?"

I would have laughed had I not known he wasn't making a horrible pun.

"I think a bit better, sir." I answered honestly.

"I think?" He said lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, you see sir… I'm not entirely sure anymore how cut out I am for SOLDIER." I said choosing my words carefully. "I mean, I sure as heck ain't gonna quit, but it's just that I feel like I've fallen behind on a lot."

What with how I had trained with Vincent that wasn't far from the truth. I wasn't training with him on how to use a sword or how to fight in the heavy fashion of SOLDIER; most of my time had been spent physically training my butt of to improve my own evasion and help me move quicker, learning to fight in a way that would offset my small size.

Straight up punching and sword swinging was not my thing.

"Why not try and practice more on your own?" He suggested. "Here, I could give you the code for this room, but you're going to be responsible for it. You can't give this to just anyone." He pulled out a small note card.

"Ah! Really?" I said feigning excitement. I took the card and looked at it. I got the strangest feeling that he planned this out ahead of time.

"And it has my endorsement giving you permission to be here unsupervised. Do you understand, Cadet?"

"Yes sir!" I saluted him.

"And after a while if you feel that you could use the extra help, come see me."

With that, he walked away.

He really was a great guy; no wonder the cadets liked him.

I pocketed the code and ran to catch up with my squad.

* * *

...

Moments later I found myself in the chow hall sitting by my squad mates and munching on what I thought was really dried rice… or maybe it was cabbage.

"Hey, so what did the Captain want?" Abbott asked.

"Huh?" I said choking down the rice. "Oh, he gave me permission to use the sparring room for extra practice."

"So he noticed how bad you are?" Bixby sneered.

"Hey," I snapped at him, "I'm working on it!"

I scooped up another mouthful of rice.

Eric Bixby, I had come to learn, was a spoiled rich kid from Midgar; Based on his personality, I had no doubt that his parents paid his way in here. He certainly had a passion for money and even seemed like the root source of the fifth squad's apparent gambling problem. That and he always seemed to stick his head in other people's business as if everything was about him.

Abbott warned me after my first day to stay away from him.

"Yeah, nobody asked your opinion, asshole." she added bluntly.

Did I mention that Abbott really despised him? I didn't know too much of their history, but from the way they talked Abbott and Bixby nearly always disagreed with each other left and right.

I watched silently as he snorted before turning back to his own conversation as if he never spoke to us at all.

How childish.

"That's why Captain Lysander is one of the best!" Abbott said turning back to me. "Did you know that he was a part of the first generation of SOLDIERs? Pretty high ranking too: I think he was a former first class."

She looked away to continue eating.

That was new information: A former 1st class?

Lysander was a bit too young to be retired already. And come to think of it, he didn't have the mako blue eyes that every SOLDIER typically sported. Why didn't I realize that before? In fact, the actual mako infusions didn't start until a few years back.

My mind began spinning off ideas. One of them was a particular question: was he forced to retire? That would've been motivation enough to distribute Shinra technology, probably for monetary gain.

"So," Abbott said turning her head back to me disrupting my thoughts, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Oh, I'm going around Midgar with Zack and Kunsel. You know, from squad seven?" I replied.

"So hanging out with your boyfriend then?" She teased.

"You mean Zack?" I said with an eyebrow raised. She probably saw me talking to him several times in class. "Oh, no, he's too young for me." I said defensively.

"He can't be that much younger!" Abbott said skeptically.

"Trust me," I said, "First off: I don't date younger guys. Second: I don't have time to worry about dating someone. Third: He reminds me more of my brother, in a younger version sort of way. Fourth: I'm too young to wo—"

"Okay, fine. I feel like I'm talking to my mother, jeez." Abbott rubbed her forehead.

"I get that a lot." I said before taking a sip of my water. "So, anyways, want to come?"

"Oh, no. Me, Anna, and a couple of girls from the other squads have plans to spend time in the wreck room for some games. I just wanted to know if you wanted to tag along." She paused for a moment before adding "Thanks anyways."

Anna was one of the other two girls in our squad that I didn't know much about. She was very quiet and kept to herself most of the time.

I turned my full focus back onto eating and began to think some more; tomorrow I would be heading out into Midgar with Zack and Kunsel. I never thought I would be doing something like that. Ever.

At first, I kept my distance; I never expected to run into Zack as many times as I did, of all people. I felt like just being near him was somehow tampering with the plot line. But then again, maybe it couldn't hurt too much. After all, I did have to blend in as much as I could and if I chose to stay behind on my own tomorrow that would stick out to some people, no doubt.

With that last thought, I turned my mind to the next step I had to take for finding my target.

Could Captain Lysander be the one I was looking for?

I shook my head; I couldn't rush to conclusions without any solid proof. To find it I would have to do some snooping. My window of opportunity for that actually presented itself to me; I had between today and tomorrow to find something.

A light bulb went off in my head; if I could get into Lysander's office, maybe I would find something. I would have to go at night and find a way to get into his office without being noticed. The air vents? Yes, there was an air vent in the sparring room which was lower to the ground and wasn't far from his office.

Making my up my mind, I decided to break my way into the man's office tonight. It may not have been the most thoroughly thought out plan, but it was the best I could come up with on such short notice.

I got up from my seat and grabbed my tray. "I'm going back to the barracks," I announced to Abbott.

"Tired already?" She asked.

I nodded my head in response.

"Ok, see you later then."

As I walked over to the tray return, I saw a familiar figure I hadn't seen in a while. After dropping off my empty tray, I found myself drifting towards 2nd class Frey. At this point, I was dead certain that she was a Turk, but I couldn't place her name.

She addressed me first. "Cadet, I'll trust you haven't gotten lost since I last saw you."

I felt her intense gaze from under her helmet; the way she was watching me was proof enough.

"I almost did," I replied casually, "but I've gotten to know the other cadets a lot better ma'am. I still need to do a little exploring to familiarize myself though."

"And how are your classes going?"

"Ah, I find that I'm having trouble with my sparring at the moment. The instructor though has been very nice about it though. He gave me the code for the sparring room for extra practice and even offered me extra help if I still don't improve," I hinted.

I continued. "But, I think I'll still have to look around a bit more before then."

She looked at me silently for a moment. "It sounds like you're doing just fine, Cadet. Don't go getting yourself into trouble now with your exploring. If you have any other concerns or questions please feel free to ask me."

"I will, thank you ma'am." I saluted her before continuing my way back to the barracks. I knew I had gotten my message across, now to wait for nightfall.

* * *

...

I turned over on my bunk once, sending a glance at the other beds in my section. It seemed everyone returned; Abbott was sitting on her bed reading a Library book while the other girls were asleep. From what I could hear, some of the other boys were awake as well and talking quietly among themselves.

I got up and started walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Abbott asked quietly, grabbing my attention.

"To the sparring room, I can't sleep that much." I replied. That was part of the truth.

"That also why you fell asleep with your uniform on?"

I shook my head.

"It'll be curfew soon; you don't want to be caught out late." Abbott reminded me.

"I know." I turned away from her and continued onward.

As I came around the corner of the room divider to reach the door, the boys seemed to get silent. I looked at them for a moment in question before deciding to ignore it. As soon as I shut the door behind me, I could faintly hear them start talking again.

As I was about to walk away, I stopped and thought better of it. Out of curiosity, I put my ear to the door and shut my eyes to focus on listening.

"I don't think that Carney has a chance of surviving the next assessment either." Someone said.

My brow furrowed at that; they were probably making more bets.

"Heh, I doubt she'll last another day," I heard Bixby speak; "She's a girl, after all."

At that point, I stopped listening. Anymore and I would have want to rip their heads off and I was certain that Abbott heard that too. I would leave it to her.

And with that, I turned away from the door and strolled down the hall.

Taking the stairwell that connected the two other lower floors of the military school, I went to level forty and made my way over to the sparring room, passing no one else in the hallways. I pulled the card out from my pocket and typed the code into the lock panel.

An audible click rang out in the empty hallway and I made my way inside the room.

With the door shutting behind me, I was engulfed in darkness.

Stumbling around a bit, I ran a hand along the wall where I knew the light switch to be. after finding it, I watched the lights slowly flicker to life, one by one. The training room unveiled before me seemed eerie and was sharply different from what it was in the daytime; It was too quiet and void of any noise with no other cadets around. After doing a sweeping check of the room for cameras, I picked up one of the swords from the storage rack and walked along the wall to the opposite side of the room.

I carefully placed the sword on the ground before observing what I had to work with; conveniently enough, there was a pile of old floor mats stacked nearby that I could use to reach the vent easier. Leaning against the stack with all of my weight, I managed to push the dusty mats just underneath the vent in only a matter of seconds. After taking a quick break, I quietly mounted the stack of mats and climbed my way up towards the vent. The cover to the air vent itself wasn't bolted down, much to my luck, and I easily popped it out of place. Pulling myself up, I pulled the cover back in place before quietly making my way through the close quarters.

Keeping in mind where the captain's office was, I took several turns, being careful to check each exit to make sure I was heading the right direction. After what felt like ten minutes, I finally found the office I was looking for.

I glanced out from the vent noting that the lights were left on, but nobody was around. I removed the cover and slid out of the vent feet first. I stepped down on top of a bookshelf and made my way down from there, making sure to not kick anything out of place.

I landed with my feet firmly on the ground and looked around; the man certainly kept a neat office. There were several bookshelves with a desk, and two chairs sitting in front of it. I made my way over to his desk, deciding to start my search there. No computer, but plenty of drawers to go through.

Too many, actually.

I shot a glance towards the door; it appeared to be locked, but I didn't know when that meant Lysander would return; I would only have a limited amount of time and needed to pick my searching spots carefully.

If I got caught here, several things had the possibility of happening. For one I would blow my cover and I would lose the chance to making it into the Turks, especially if my guess was wrong; for another, I could be right, but then I was cornered, and Tseng specifically said to let them handle the rest after I discovered who the informant was.

I shook my head, quickly returning to the task at hand; I couldn't afford to get distracted now.

I looked on top of his desk and noted that he had several books out of place on them. Walking over, I checked each book to see if there was anything suspicious.

Nothing; just regular books on strategy and swordplay.

I then decided to check the top drawer of his desk; after jostling the handle for a few seconds, I quickly determined it was locked, and I didn't have anything to pick locks with. I turned away and back towards the bookshelf before my attention was grabbed by a small folder wedged in between some of the larger books. I quickly pulled it out and opened it.

My heart was racing now.

There was a stack of papers inside. Carefully skimming them over I realized something; the papers were absolutely unimportant. They only contained the records of some cadets.

I wasn't getting anywhere with this search.

Before putting the records down, I did a double take; my record was in there too, along with a few other names I vaguely recognized.

Why?

After thinking that, I felt the familiar sensation in my gut that something was coming.

The doorknob shook a little, nearly causing me to jump.

"Your door is locked." An irritated voice spoke from outside.

"I know it is; it's supposed to be." A familiar voice grunted out. "Give me a second and I'll have the key."

Quickly I shoved the papers back into the folder and jammed it back between the books. I reached the side of the bookshelf and started climbing back up towards the vent shaft.

"Here it is," the voice announced.

I heard a key clicking into the door.

Grabbing the cover that I propped up on top of the bookshelf, I crawled back into the vent before popping it back in place. The door opened just as I slid myself further into the vent on my stomach, covering my mouth.

They were in the room now.

"Now where is it?" The unknown person demanded rudely. The voice, I realized, sounded like a rather young person.

"Shhh!" Lysander hissed. "The damn files you asked for are in my desk, I'll get them and then you can leave."

I listened in dead silence as the sound of a drawer opening reached my ears.

"Here," I heard papers thrown down, "that's the information you wanted from me, now hand over the Gil."

Bingo.

The Goddess must have been on my side today.

"You do know that you've been a little too sloppy lately." The young person said.

"What?!" Lysander snapped angrily.

"Calm down," The other said coolly, "I'm letting you know that you're within _their_ sights. If I were you, I'd leave soon before they close in."

I slowly began edging further away from the vent, keeping my eyes trained forward on the room.

"But then again, what you do is none of my concern."

"Why you—" Lysander fumed.

Then, as I moved one of my legs back, the metal surface beneath my knee popped up with the release of pressure.

_Clang!_

"—What was that?!"

Oh shit.

I picked up the pace and backed around a corner in the shaft before the light filtering through it was disrupted by a shadow. I held my breath tightly as I watched the shadow; it hovered there for a moment before slowly disappearing.

"Must have been a rat. I tell you this building is full of them and you ought to let the old fart know that." Lysander said, forgetting the young man's previous words.

"Hmph, I couldn't care less."

Without wanting to hear what else the other man had to say, I crept out of their ear range before booking it back to the training room. I hastily slid the vent cover of before slamming it back on and slipping down the mats and onto the floor.

I sat up and leaned against the dusty mats trying to catch my breath; from head to toe, I was covered in dust. After a few moments of heavy breathing, I couldn't help myself and started laughing. I could even feel my stomach cramping up along with it. I had narrowly avoided getting caught, and the only thing I could think of Genesis' words from the Malboro attack; "_What were you thinking_!?"

Oh Goddess, if he could see me now, he'd probably whack me over the head with his book again and I could even imagin the look on his face too.

After finally catching my breath, I reluctantly pulled myself back onto my feet, making sure to grab the sword I left on the ground. Seeing chunks of dust clinging to my uniform, I hastily brushed myself off.

Not a moment later after I did that, I heard the door open behind me. My heartbeat skyrocketed as I whipped around to face the door. I saw a man standing next to it who was sending a questioning look in my direction; by the way he was dressed, he was another instructor. I stopped myself from breathing a sigh of relief and instead straightened up my posture and throwing my hand up in a salute.

"At ease cadet," The voice rang out across the vast room.

I lowered my hand as he made his way over to me.

"Are you aware that it is past curfew?" The man said.

My face paled. "Uh," I stuttered at first, "no sir."

Time had gone by that fast?

"And how exactly did you come to be here in the first place?"

"Sir, my instructor gave me permission to use this room for extra training, Sir!" I said clearly before showing him the card. He studied the card for only a few seconds before turning his stern gaze back on me.

"Well, cadet, I expect you to not let this happen again. You are to report back to your assigned barracks."

"Yes sir!" I said with a final salute.

"And cadet," he said after a moment, "your appearance is a disgrace. Clean up."

Having heard his final order, I nearly bolted across the room to drop off the sword before leaving the room.

Setting one foot out, I looked around the hallways cautiously for any sign of Captain Lysander; there was absolutely no one in sight.

With that as reassurance, I began walking quietly back towards the stairwell, making sure that I stayed as far away from Lysander's office as I could. As I turned around the corner, however, I realized there was another person in that hallway besides myself; I found myself being stared at by a boy who had to be around Reno's age.

How did I not notice the sound of his footsteps?

without flinching I kept walking and the boy did the same, with each step bringing us closer together. I silently observed him from the corner of my eye; he wore a dark suit and hat which ruled him out as a cadet, but I could tell he had quite a bit of muscle hidden beneath the dark fabric as he didn't look stick skinny like most other boys his age would be.

As we got closer, I could finally see a few details of his face. His eyes were a bluish-grey color with his nearly platinum blonde hair hanging down a little into his face. His skin was also a very pale shade.

Our eyes made contact as we came within two feet of each other. I looked at him with a curious expression while he smirked at me as if knowing something I didn't. Not wanting to keep that unsettling contact, I quickly set my eyes forward again, and the stranger did so too.

After a few more seconds, the sound of his shoes against the ground faded. I was alone again as I made it to the stairwell.

* * *

...

I let the hot water cascade over my hair and down my back; it felt so good over my sore muscles. I was feeling more confident now with the test; I had found my target and even heard words of confirmation from his own mouth.

The only thing I was bothered by was the stranger he was talking to. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that something else was going on besides a simple information leak; the appearance of the stranger only troubled me more, especially since I was only able to get a quick look at him.

He was obviously somebody from a wealthy family.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," I mumbled. My first priority here was to make it into the Turks. I could worry about the stranger later.

One odd thought that I couldn't get out of my mind though, was that the young stranger's choice in color didn't fit him that well.

I shrugged it off; it wasn't important anyways.

After scrubbing off the remaining soap suds from my skin, I turned the knob and shut off the water. That's when I noticed a slight shift in the way the steam was flowing; somebody had opened the door.

I started squeezing the water out of my hair as I began listening intently for some sign that it was someone I knew. Sure enough, I heard a shuffling of boots against the floor.

Immediately I noted several things: It was past curfew, nobody was supposed to be out, and for another thing I knew that most of the girls in the academy program weren't this heavy footed.

I decided to speak up through the steam laden air.

"You know, you really should work on being more subtle," I said. As my words carried through the air, I could hear the person stop moving. I reached over and grabbed a towel that I left on the hook outside of my shower. "Leave."

There was only silence after that. At this point my suspicions were confirmed; the person definitely had to be a guy, he would have responded otherwise.

After another minute went by, I heard the person begin moving again. If there was one thing I couldn't stand, it was someone invading my own privacy.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with this," I said in warning. I secured the towel around my torso. "Keep coming closer to me and see what happens."

"Yeah, sure." I heard a voice mumble.

I recognized that voice; a member of my own squad.

It was Bixby.

He was really looking to push my buttons today, wasn't he?

I certainly wouldn't mind zapping him like a bug.

With that thought, I felt a sinister smile creeping on my face.

* * *

...

**Extra**

**?**

Tseng's morning started off as relaxed as it could normally get. He walked down the hall to his office with a hot cup of black coffee in one hand, and a new stack of paperwork in the other.

He walked into the open door of his office before placing the papers down on his desk and shutting the door. With the coffee still in hand, he walked over to the window and looked out at the city below him which was still filled with numerous cranes and scaffolding; it would take a few more years before all of the chaotic construction would be complete and especially on the Shinra building itself.

He sighed and turned away from the window and sat at his desk, gazing down at the paperwork before him; it still hadn't let up since Veld had been gone.

It was less than a month ago that the town of Kalm, Veld's home, was destroyed and by none other than the Shinra Company itself. The whole thing was a nasty ordeal, one that Tseng wanted to forget but wasn't allowed to.

Actually, scratch that, he wanted to forget the entire year.

It all started with the sudden appearance of an unknown anti-Shinra militant group. The fact that it showed up during a time of war made matters even worse; it was something that had to be dealt with quickly and efficiently; it was the reason why the Turks were called in to deal with it in the first place.

Sure, Tseng had certainly slipped up in a few places and even ended up hospitalized at one point, but he wasn't prepared for what happened after they discovered the source for the stolen weapons that were produced by Shinra.

His teacher—his superior—had barely survived the effect of what had been done to eliminate it and countless innocent lives were lost in the process, including the man's own family. Because of that, Tseng found himself stepping up and talking charge of the Turks in his place.

There was still a massive cover up to be dealt with too.

Yet despite the company's efforts and success with that mission, Tseng couldn't help but feel that it had been for nothing; he just knew that sometime in the future they would likely come across the very same group again.

But that didn't make the company bad, Tseng told himself.

No. It was something that was unavoidable and had to be done for the good of the company, for the sake of the war.

A knock at Tseng's office door broke his train of thought.

"Come in," he spoke solemnly.

The door opened to reveal one of his fellow Turks; she stepped into the office before shutting the door behind her.

"You have come to report on the progress of Ms. Lasko, Cissnei?" Tseng said looking up at the red head from all of his paperwork.

The whole entire circumstance for Sibyl Lasko's test at this point would have made him laugh bitterly if not for the fact that Tseng wasn't one to laugh. The girl was tasked with finding a different source for another leak in Shinra secrets.

One of the other ironic things too was the fact that they had already found and kept a close eye on the man responsible for weeks now; he likened the test itself something similar to a lioness letting her cub finish of an already dying animal.

"Yes sir," the red head confirmed, "I believe at this moment that she has already discovered the identity of the informant."

Tseng nodded his head in response.

"I also came," Cissnei started again, "To report two other things."

Tseng kept his attention on her in confirmation for her to continue.

"Last night someone short circuited the cameras on the lower level of the academy; we are still unable to find the one responsible as it is unlikely to be Lysander."

"Someone who is well informed about the inner workings of Shinra; an insider." Tseng added.

"That is what I believe, sir. And another thing, a cadet was discovered this morning outside of the Academy director's door, tied up and unconscious."

"Is it connected in any way?" Tseng asked.

"Actually, no sir. But I thought you would like to see this, if I may?"

Tseng moved aside from his desk, allowing Cissnei to pull up a file on his computer; video surveillance that was from the night before, he noted.

The other Turk moved aside to let Tseng get a full view of what he was watching.

He found himself looking at footage from what he determined was a camera positioned in the hallway on the same floor as the cadet's barracks, the one outside of the female locker rooms to be precise.

He saw a small group of cadets, all boys, hanging around the outside of the room, and outside of their curfew too. The scene remained unchanged for a few minutes before something surprising happened.

Tseng sat up slightly in his chair and watched as a boy, another cadet, was quite literally thrown out the locker room door with his arms and legs hog-tied together with what appeared to be a belt. The boys on the screen, from what he could see, were also stunned.

That was before he saw Sibyl Lasko emerging from the room shortly after, sloppily wearing an unbuttoned cadet's uniform; the uniform was also missing its belt.

The boys in the video proceeded to look at the girl in their stunned silence before Tseng saw the girl's mouth move, uttering silent words he couldn't understand. After she finished speaking, Sibyl's mouth crept upward into a very unnerving smile.

The boys at this rate seemed scared out of their wits and bolted from sight.

The video stopped.

"I only took a segment of the footage." Cissnei said.

Cissnei certainly seemed amused with what she saw and Tseng was too. For what might have been the first time in months, a slight smile appeared on Tseng's face before it vanished completely.

Then he thought to himself that perhaps his year wasn't nearly as bad as it was before.

* * *

...

_Author's note:_ And it is done! A lot of important things were hinted at in this chapter and I didn't expect that to happen, so I'm pretty satisfied with it. And another thing that is certainly noteworthy, in case ya'll didn't hear...

A Final Fantasy 7 remake has been promised!

Here's hoping that everything works out for it!

~BlueCampanula


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Starting Out the Typical Day**

* * *

**...**

"You're exactly like he is."

"That's a good one Doc, tell me another one," I deadpanned.

"She isn't lying." Vincent spoke quietly.

"Come on," I snapped angrily, "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? There is no flippin' way that that's possible!" I glanced back and forth between the two of them as if asking for them to say something different.

Silence.

The frustrated scowl on my face gradually softened. "Just…I'm sorry," I sighed and got up from the table I was sitting on, "I need some fresh air."

I turned and started walking away.

"Sibyl!"

...

"Hey!"

"Few more minutes Abbott…" I said groaning as I rolled onto my stomach.

"Come on Nora, you can sleep later!" A familiar voice said.

"Go away Zack." I mumbled in response. A second later my eyes snapped open in realization. "ZACK?!"

I quickly propelled myself upward into a sitting position before my head met the bunk above mine.

_Clang!_

My body slumped back down into my bed.

"Oughhh," I rubbed my head, "I'm awake now."

"That one looked like it hurt." I heard Abbott say bluntly. I turned to glare at her as she began chuckling. Sighing in defeat, I found my attention drawn back to the boy in front of me—scratch that, the two boys in front of me; both Zack and Kunsel had showed up by my bedside. I slowly sat up and faced both of them.

"Zack, Kunsel, why are you guys here? No—how did you get in here is what I should be asking," I stated groggily.

"Today's the day off, remember?" Zack said quickly.

"And Abbott was the one to let us in; it's almost 0800 right now and you're still in bed. Late night?" Kunsel asked.

"Uh, something like that." I smiled at them both before my face turned serious. "Now if you two don't mind," I motioned at the door, "I'll be out in a minute."

"Alright you heard her, get going," Abbott said after a few seconds. I watched as they walked out of sight and soon heard the reassuring click of the door letting me know they left. I turned to look at Abbott.

"Next time, please don't let them wake me up." I muttered.

"Well, you were in a pretty deep sleep; I actually tried waking you up but you kind of snapped at me."

I shrugged my shoulders tiredly not knowing how else to respond.

Leaving behind the thin blankets, I got out of bed and began smoothing the wrinkles out my uniform; I felt like falling asleep in it was going to become a lazy habit at this point. Reaching under my bed, I pulled out a spare belt and secured it around my waist. I noticed that the barrack room sounded more empty than usual; it appeared that most everybody had already cleared out and I was one of the few left. Noticing my gazing, Abbott decided to comment.

"Almost everybody cleared out earlier, although there's one person I haven't seen around since yesterday night's fiasco…" She said looking at me knowingly.

"Oh, you heard about that?" I grinned sheepishly. I figured it wouldn't take that long for my squad to find out what happened last night, especially because I did scare about half a dozen of them shitless. "Well, on that note it was in self-defense which is probably why none of the instructors have come after me yet." I said with a cheerful smile.

"I just wish you could have heard what they were whispering this morning at the chow hall—no, I wish I could have seen it!" She said in an amused tone.

"Mmmhmm, okay see you later Abb." I said as I started walking out the room. Opening up the door, I poked my head out first and then asked the two boys, "Alright, is it too late to get breakfast?"

After that, it only took a matter of minutes to reach the cafeteria. At first I tried looking around to see if I could find '2nd class Frey', but she wasn't in her usual spot. Actually, I couldn't find her anywhere. I had planned on telling her about Lysander early on in the day, but something must have warranted her attention elsewhere. After about ten minutes and at Zack's insistence, I ended up grabbing an apple and heading out with the other two cadets to the elevator.

I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to tell her later about my findings. As the elevator doors pinged open, I started to focus my thoughts towards the day ahead of me.

* * *

...

"Geeze, Midgar is so huge!"

I almost couldn't keep my mouth from dropping down in amazement; I thought I had managed to see some of the city when I arrived, but I was sorely mistaken. We had only made it through a few of the upper plate districts and already I was feeling overwhelmed. Left and right, a mixture of concrete and steel buildings of various heights seemed to tower above the streets. Everywhere you could look you'd see the sidewalks packed full of people with some old-fashioned looking cars passing by on the streets too.

"Never been to a city before, I take it?" Kunsel asked.

"I've never seen a building over five stories tall." I responded as my eyes continued to roam around. Currently the area we were in was Sector Five. When we had left the Shinra building, the three of us ended up walking around on foot, especially since a cab was too far out of our non-existent budget. By staying closer to the perimeter of the Shinra building, we managed to see more of the different sectors in a shorter amount of time.

"Holy crap, how rich do you have to be to shop here?" I said in disbelief after peering into the window of a clothing store. Sector Five, as I had discovered, was a very huge shopping district; you couldn't go two steps without seeing a store, whether it was a vendor or a six story clothing outlet.

"I'm booooooored." Zack huffed out with a sigh ignoring my question. "Can we check out the slums instead?" We immediately stopped walking and both Kunsel and I turned around to look at Zack who had slowly begun to lag behind. "What?" he asked. "All the sectors above the plate look the same from what I've seen so far."

Me and Kunsel then looked at each other with a silent conversation passing between us.

"_He is right, you know…"_ I thought.

"_The instructors told us not to go looking for trouble though." _Kunsel stared back inquisitively.

"_It shouldn't be that bad." _I shrugged back in response.

While that was going on, Zack was standing on the sidelines watching us in confusion as the people walking by ignored us. After a few more seconds, Kunsel and I reached our decision. "Alright, we can go see the slums but we're not sticking our noses where they shouldn't belong." Kunsel announced with a defeated sigh.

"Hey, um, did I miss something?" Zack questioned still glancing between the two of us.

"Nah," I said nonchalantly as I glanced past Zack's shoulder. My eye caught sight of something interesting. "Hey, before we go, I want to go in there!" I pointed excitedly. Following my finger, Zack and Kunsel found themselves staring at a grocery store. I immediately bolted in its direction and left them with no other choice but to run after me.

In a matter of seconds I found myself strolling into the ritziest grocery store I'd ever been in. Compared to the small town stores I had been in since Banora, the amount of items in this store was unrivaled; its purple walls were supporting shelves that were practically exploding with products…The grocery store was also much more expensive, just like everything else found on the plate.

I trailed up and down several aisles with Zack and Kunsel in tow.

"Why does everything have to be so expensive here?" Zack wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but when I get rich enough I'm buying half the store." I said back as I kept scanning the shelves. Almost everything was the same as from back home, something I was relieved about. I did note that the food I had back in Banora was similar to home, but that was being a little hasty since I hadn't seen much else of it.

"Do you cook?" Kunsel asked curiously.

I turned and looked at him and nodded my head in excitement. "Yeah, lots. I picked up a lot of stuff from my mom; she was the one who taught me everything I know." I said proudly. As we turned around the corner to a different aisle, I caught sight of something that I didn't think I'd see for a long time. I found my pace quickening; I wanted to make sure that I was seeing what I was. "Holy shit, they actually have it?!" I said as I reached for the item I saw. Kunsel and Zack watched in anticipation as I held up the item. "This was a staple at my house!" I announced.

"Parmesan cheese?" Zack said. "Do you know how to cook Italian?"

"Yeah of course I—" I abruptly paused. "Wait a second, how do you know what Italian is?" I asked dumbstruck.

"It's a style of cooking and very expensive at that." Kunsel replied simply.

"Oh…right." I said blankly.

I quietly put the item back on the shelf. I suppose that this world was much more parallel to mine than I originally thought. After all, they spoke English, used common names, and even had weird looking cars from what I had seen. Did I mention that I even saw the Big Dipper constellation? Yeah that was surprising. Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered from the game that one of the restaurants in Wall Market offered Korean barbeque… or something like that.

Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised.

"Hey," I said tearing myself out of my thoughts, "Maybe I should cook for you guys sometimes. I'm pretty sure I can say that whatever Italian food you guys have ever had has got nothing on me." I smiled.

"Yeah, awesome!" Zack jumped in excitement.

"But first you probably need a lot of money." Kunsel stated.

With that realization, Zack slumped over. "So that means…not any time soon." He said in disappointment.

"Hey, don't be so down!" I said bending down to his level. "I'll make it worth the wait, trust me. Oh, I know, I'll do a huge feast and I'll even introduce you to my friends when I finally see them again." I could feel my eyes sparkling at that thought; I couldn't see anything wrong with Zack meeting Angeal and Genesis a little ahead of time.

"You know that Zack could probably eat a hole through your wallet, right?" Kunsel said breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Hey, you're not much different!" Zack retorted in defense.

"Actually, I don't think that'll be a problem," I said thoughtfully. Especially if I made it in with the Turks; they evidently get paid a lot more than SOLDIERs. "Besides," I added, "I can imagine that my friends would probably be the same."

"Oh yeah, you said they were in SOLDIER too? You never told me who they were." Zack said springing to life again.

"Hey, I never said they were in SOLDIER." I said holding up my hands.

"But you just said 'when I finally see them again', not something like 'when I visit them next'. That has to mean that they're in Midgar at least…not to mention on top of things life as a SOLDIER is really demanding too; you wouldn't have much time to do any visiting." I stared at him blankly for a moment as his words registered in my mind; and here I thought he was supposed to be some hyperactive kid with his head in the clouds.

"That doesn't mean that they can't decide to visit me." I finally replied slowly. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kunsel start to say something before I cut him off and changed the subject."Okay then, I've seen enough of this place. Shall we get going to the slums?"

"Oh, I think I know where the train is!" Zack said effectively leaving behind our last conversation. Grabbing me and Kunsel by the wrist, he dragged us out of the store and down the busy street.

* * *

...

Zack, Kunsel, and I were nearly pressing our faces against the glass as the train was spiraling its way down into the slums.

"It's so dark…" I trailed off. When I came here, there was actually some light that gave the underside of the plate a warm glow, but now it was as dark as night in the middle of the daytime; it was creepy. Looking around there was very little light except for what the top plate emitted, but even then it was fluorescent. In the distance though, I could faintly see some natural light peeking out around what had to have been the edge of the plate.

"Yeah, I heard that only during sunset or sunrise is when this place actually gets some light." Kunsel commented.

"So it's a place where night never really ends? People must really love the nightlife here, huh?" Zack asked.

His question was left hanging on the air.

Sitting back in my seat, I looked at Zack to answer him. "Well, that reminds me about something that someone once said."

"What's that?" Zack asked curiously.

I paused for a moment, wondering if I should say it.

"No one lives in the slums because they want to. It's like this train. It can only go where the tracks take it." I said quietly.

"That's…Kinda sad." Kunsel said wistfully. Yeah, it was sad. That was part of the reason why I tried to keep to myself when I came to Midgar; I didn't want to see that with my own eyes. I didn't even come to Midgar to help out the slum dwellers either.

Zack didn't respond to my words; he instead slowly sank down into his seat with his brows furrowing together in concentration. I could feel the minutes ticking by as he sat in silence. "Hey, I didn't break you, did I?" I asked jokingly as I nudged him in the shoulder.

Right then, I could've sworn that Zack flinched a little.

"No," he began breaking his silence, "it's just that…" Zack trailed off for a moment before snapping his attention back to me. "You know what? Never mind."

The train slowly skidded to a halt and the doors slid open.

"Oh hey, we're here!" Zack said.

In an instant, his cheerful persona was restored.

Peeling myself off the seat, I stepped off the train and joined Zack and Kunsel on the concrete platform. From where we stood, the train graveyard was the most dominant feature that stood out the most among the dark backdrop. The rest of the ramshackle buildings were clustered around it and they appeared to go on like that for a while in the distance.

I turned my head to speak to my two companions only to find that they were gone. I looked a little ways away from the platform to see Zack and Kunsel already wandering off. "Hey wait up you guys!" I shouted after them. Ignoring the stairs, I jumped off the edge of the platform and bolted in their direction. "Didn't we say we wouldn't be sticking our noses where they don't belong?" I huffed out as I caught up to them.

"Just looking around." Zack stated. He then turned to look at me. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" I questioned.

"Yeah, you seemed fine about coming down here before, but now…you seem a little uneasy, especially with what you said back on the train." Kunsel said.

"Um," I started unsure of what to say. I wasn't fine; being in the slums beneath Midgar actually freaked me out. It wasn't the people, but rather the fact that a massive plate loomed above us in place of the sky. Although nobody payed it any mind, I felt threatened by the hunk of metal and didn't fancy the thought of it coming down over the top of our heads. "It's just…being down here—nothing feels right, you know?" I tried voicing my thoughts.

"Really?" Zack said. "I think it looks pretty cool."

"Not to worry, you've got us by your side." Kunsel added reassuringly.

I looked at Kunsel and only smiled in response. I didn't want to tell him that I didn't need someone to protect me; I was pretty sure I was past that point at least. It wasn't just the plate that was bothering me though; the air down there was stiff and heavy too, no breeze or anything. That and maybe I didn't want to get caught in any sticky situations or risk Zack meeting Aerith too early…

Aerith.

I couldn't help but wonder if I'd run into her too.

* * *

…

After what seemed like an hour, our little trio somehow made its way to Wall Market. In my mind I made a small note to steer clear of the Honey Bee Inn; I didn't want to go anywhere near that place. Oddly enough, Wall Market didn't look as lively as it had in the game. Maybe it was because of the absence of Don Corneo? He was hired by Shinra at some point…

"Hey, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving!" Zack said loudly.

"Yeah same here." Kunsel replied.

Both of them turned and looked at me funny.

"What? I guess I'm hungry too." I said returning their stares.

"Actually, we were waiting for your stomach to respond." Zack stated simply.

Both of the boys laughed at me as my face dropped into a pout.

Jerks.

"Why don't we go in there?" Kunsel asked pointing at a tin covered building.

"Wall Market Pub…" Zack read in a mumble. "Sounds good to me."

"Sure, why not." I agreed.

I instantly came to regret those words as I walked through the front door. Following Kunsel and Zack's lead, I walked in behind them. The pub wasn't too crowed; the interior of the building itself was narrow with its main focus being a wooden bar against the back wall. There were even a few small booth tables too.

The place didn't appear too bad over all. That was when I finally noticed a spot of red in my vision. It was Reno; I would recognize his hair anywhere, especially when it was such a rare color. Keeping my gaze forward, I kept walking as if I didn't notice him and stuck close to Zack and Kunsel. That's when he decided to call out my name.

"Lasko!" Immediately my back stiffened. Zack and Kunsel kept walking, not hearing the disturbance. I briefly turned my head around to the offending red-head. My crimson eyes met his green ones. I mouthed silently to him '_not now'_. To that he smirked and I didn't like that reaction one bit. I turned around and quickly caught up to Kunsel and Zack just as they sat down at a booth. Sliding into the empty seat across from them, I started feeling more nervous than ever; Reno was here, and I couldn't be certain how he would act.

I wanted to get out of there.

I began to speak. "Hey you guys, why don't we—"

"Well fancy seeing you here, yo!" Reno interrupted as he bumped me over, taking a seat right next to me. I felt my mouth pop open for a second in dismay before I found my face plastered with a forced smile.

"And what brings you here today, Reno?" I asked begrudgingly through my teeth.

"Wait a second, you know a Turk?" Kunsel asked switching his focus between me and Reno.

"Yeah little Miss Lasko and I met a little while back." Reno freely said as he threw an arm around my shoulder. I just stared at him for a moment seeing the mirth in his eyes as he finished speaking. Whatever words I had on my tongue died before I had the chance to open my mouth.

"Lasko?" Zack questioned.

"You've forgotten my name already Reno?" I said quickly covering up his mistake. I wasn't about to let him blow my cover. Putting on another pout, I continued speaking, "My name's Elnora. Elnora Carney." I had to stop myself from emphasizing the last name.

"Oh darn, I guess I was mistaken," Reno began almost sarcastically. "I suppose I'll have ta tell 1st class Hewley and Commander Rhapsodos to never mind then."

Wait a second…he told them about me?! I snapped my attention back to Reno as I found myself gripping the edge of the table in agitation. I knew for certain that he was well aware of my undercover test; the turd-face was clearly egging me on. Instead of letting him win, I tried changing the subject. "I thought you were on a mission to Wutai, _Friend_." I nearly hissed the last word.

"Well you see, I happened ta get back early, what with the fact I had ta bring back some SOLDIERs from the front lines." He suggested. "Thought I might as well hang around and grab a drink." I looked at him skeptically; he was fifteen and he was drinking? I shook my head in bemusement. This conversation was getting nowhere.

I quickly focused back on Zack and Kunsel; they had gone silent during the whole exchange and were merely watching us, evidently uncertain of what to say as well.

"Oh," Reno started speaking again, "you pulled off quite the show yesterday with that other cadet…what was his name? Eric Bixby?"

"How do you—" I started to say.

"Wait, you're telling me that Carney here was involved in that? I overheard a lot of the other cadets speaking about it in the chow hall earlier." Kunsel said abruptly. Looking at him, he had what I could only describe as a look of admiration in his eyes.

Oh goddess…Did he know about it too?

"Yup," Reno answered, "who knew our little friend had such a dark streak, yo?"

"Oh! So that means that you're the Night Terror?" Zack said with a light bulb going off in his head. He nearly jumped out of his seat as he continued speaking. "And you said you couldn't fight!"

I felt my face resting in a blank stare as I felt my lip twitch.

"The Night Terror?" I asked lamely. As I would later come to find out, apparently word could spread fast around the military academy even if there were only a few witnesses. And also in hindsight I suppose I did overstep my boundaries a bit. "Okay, I think I've had enough for one day." I announced lowering my head down onto the cool wood of the table.

"Hey, I didn't even tell you the news Sibyl!" Reno cried in protest slouching down next to me.

"It's Elnora." I retorted.

"Whatever," he said waving off my comment, "the trial's pretty much finished, ya know?"

I quickly brought my head back up to face him full on.

"What?"

Reno just looked back at me and smiled. "It's exactly what I said."

My eyes widened a little.

My test was being ended early? That had to mean…

"What do you mean by trial?" Kunsel asked in confusion.

Reno's smile changed back into a full on smirk. "Well you see—"

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Hold on one second." Reno said as he reached into his pocket. Pulling out a phone, he quickly pressed a few buttons before narrowing his eyes at the screen. "Well Sibyl, it looks we'll be having one final test for you. It appears that we got a runner." He said with his expression turning serious. Reno snapped the phone shut before pocketing it once again and got up from his seat.

"You mean Captain Lysander?" I asked hastily.

Holding out his hand to me, Reno pulled me up out of the booth seat.

"Uh huh."

"Hey, can we hit the pause button for just a second?" Zack said jumping to his feet. "What's going on here?" He looked at me with concern.

"Lookie here, Cadet Fair, I'd like to explain things, but I don't have the time." Reno quickly responded. "You boys better run along back to the Shinra building."

He started walking out of the pub just as I sharply turned around. Ducking my head in apology, I added one final sentence. "I'm really sorry about this, but I will explain later."

With that, I turned heel and rushed out after the red-headed Turk.

* * *

...

"So the sneaky bastard finally realized he was being watched, did he?" Reno spoke as he picked up his pace.

"Actually," I said falling into step with him, "He was told." I noticed Reno turn his head slightly telling me to continue. "When I went to sneak into his office yesterday I overheard him talking to someone. That other person was the one who told him."

We started climbing up a massive pile of metal beams; it seemed that we were cutting across the lesser populated areas of the slums to get to the target quicker. My hair slid into my face as I pulled myself up over one beam. Pushing the rogue strands out of the way, I reached out for the next beam; it was out of my reach by a good foot at least and I struggled to try and grasp it. Extending a hand to me, Reno continued talking as he pulled me up. "Boy this is turnin' into quite the game. Tell me, can ya handle a gun?

"A gun?" I questioned absentmindedly as I hoisted myself back onto my feet.

"You know—a pistol or a shotgun?"

"Of course I can." I snipped in turn. I did happen to have a long dead Turk for a teacher and he also happened to use a shotgun; to not know how to use one would be pathetic.

"Good." He reached down at his belt, pushing aside his coat to reveal a small pistol. Grabbing it out of a holster, he handed it to me before pulling out his familiar electro-mag rod. "Had the feelin' I'd need it today." The gun felt a little strange in my hand, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle—nothing like a sword anyways.

After making sure the safety was on, I quietly tucked the small gun in my back pocket; it probably wasn't the best idea, but I needed my hands free as we continued to scale our way through the odd terrain that was the slums. "So, where are we heading to and what is our goal?" I asked. At the moment, we started crossing into an area that just looked and smelled very much like a dumpster.

"Headin' to Sector Five's slum. We're gonna cut Lysander off and stall for reinforcements." Reno said.

"Ok," I said nodding my head, "That makes sense. We wouldn't be strong enough to take down a former SOLDIER."

"Hmph," Reno responded, "Not exactly. We'd simply be playin' it risky going up against him, yo. Not worth that much effort."

Riiiiight.

"And how do we know where he is?" That was one thing I was slightly concerned about; if we were parading around in the slums to reach Lysander, it was the equivalent to searching for a needle in a haystack.

Reno turned to me with a cocky grin. "A transmitter," he said as if it were obvious. "We placed it back on him a few weeks back and he never noticed. Any other questions you wanna ask Siby?"

I scowled at the nickname. "One final question: What is our plan of attack?"

"Eh—improvise." He said effortlessly.

"Hold on there," I said reaching a hand out to catch ahold of his arm. Reno stopped and turned towards me as I continued speaking. "You mean to tell me that we're going up against a trained combat fighter with many years of experience over us and we are going to improvise? Throw it in the wind?" I gazed at him skeptically as I crossed my arms.

"Yep."

"That's not the best—"

"Stop your worryin', yo; improvising isn't too bad and besides, in our line of work it comes in handy."

I sighed.

"Yeah, you're right…" I slapped my cheeks a little; I needed to get it together. As I did that, however, my hair got in my face again. I almost huffed in annoyance before I remembered something. "You know what? One second." I mumbled. Kneeling down to the ground I removed my cadet's cap and reached down to my ankle. With a slight tug from my fingers, I loosened the crimson ribbon that was wrapped around my leg. Smoothing it out, I tied it neatly around my head and secured the hair out of my line of sight.

"Alright, I can do this now." I said reassuringly to myself as I stood back up.

"What? Is that some sort of security blanket for ya?" Reno asked sarcastically eyeing the ribbon. "How cute." He said mockingly. I glared at him and gritted my teeth together. "Okay then, now that that's out of the way, let's get goin'." Reno said trying to place a hand on my head. I quickly blocked him with my arm and shook my head in annoyance; Reno was turning out to be really blunt…or maybe it could be described as too careless.

Placing the cap back on my head and extending my free arm outward, I looked at him sternly before being calm enough to utter another sentence: "After you."

I would not let him get to me.

...

Focusing our mind-set back to the mission ahead of us, we were quickly catching up to the former 1st class. It wasn't long after picking up a trail that the man himself came within our sights.

Ducking under the mountains of rubble and garbage and carefully hiding along the shadows, we gradually crept closer and closer to him. Where the man was walking to, we didn't know; from what we could see, he was walking into a very isolated area that was far away from any slum dwellers. When Lysander stopped to look around, we stopped too and just out of his line of sight.

That was when Reno leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Alone and not moving. And ta top things off, no monsters showed up. What kinda luck is that?"

'_Oh Reno, if only you knew' _I thought to myself. "Trust me," I whispered back, "We don't have to look out for the small fry; it's the bigger ones we need to be concerned about." Watching the fugitive before us, I could see the frustrated look on his face. Reno glanced at me for a split second. "Our turn." He turned his attention back outwards and began to move out of the cover.

I quickly snapped out a hand and stopped him. "Hey, let me try and handle this one at first." I muttered out quietly. He wanted improvisation and I would give him just that; I didn't want to come off as weak.

I saw Reno's eyebrow rise slightly at my words before his face relaxed into a casual smirk again. He shrugged. "Have at it, yo."

I stared at him blankly.

This was just a game to him, wasn't it? Resisting the urge to groan at his response, I carefully started to sneak around where the fugitive stood; the darkness under the plate really helped hide my movements too as I moved among the shadows. By moving to block Lysander's path, he would be sandwiched between me and Reno with no way out.

It would be at least a little helpful with the stalling part.

"Captain Lysander?" I spoke up making myself known. I saw the man's head turn sharply in my direction. He watched as I stepped out from the shadows with his eyes widening slightly before a slight frown appeared on his face. "I never expected to see you down here, sir." I said innocently with a smile appearing on my face; I couldn't help but compare the situation to a scene from a horror movie. It amused me even more to think that I was the one stalking from the shadows and not the other way around.

Getting closer, I could see what looked to be a rapier sheathed at his side; I made a mental note that I would have to be extra careful with that one.

"You can drop the act." He snarled defensively. Immediately his hand reached for the hilt of his sword, but he stopped himself for a moment. As I kept my eyes on him, I realized that this wasn't the same man from the day before—not the one that showed so much care for his students. No, the man before me now was a bitter and hollow person. Even his grey eyes spoke that much.

So much for improvisation.

"How did you know?" I asked with genuine curiosity. I found a lot of thoughts going through my mind at once. The fact that he chose to go on a detour to Sector Five instead of fleeing directly out of Midgar was odd enough; that told me he was going somewhere specifically, but now I probably wouldn't find out. One final unsettling thought that I had was he actually knew that I was faking my role as a cadet.

"How could I completely forget a little brat with the devil's eyes?" he crowed with his words stretching out into the air.

I felt my shoulders tense.

He knew me from before?

"Of course," he continued, "I never did learn the name of the scrawny kid that tagged along in the shadows of those two. You know—the ones who replaced me?" Lysander spat bitterly.

"You were…" I trailed of uncertainly.

"That's right—I was the one who was hired to help train those ungrateful brats. In the end, Shinra threw me aside like some outdated piece of garbage, just like he'll do with the rest of you." He jabbed a finger at me. "Well I'm through with it all." In the blink of an eye, I saw the man yank the rapier out of its sheath. He dashed towards me at blinding speed, barely leaving me enough time to pull the gun out of my back pocket.

I dove to the side and narrowly missed the blade by inches.

Rolling to my feet, I started firing off some rounds at Captain Lysander as he charged at me again. No sooner had I done that, he was easily deflecting them with his blade and getting closer to me with each step he took. I didn't even know how that was possible "Reno!" I barked out as I sidestepped away from another blow.

Where the hell was he when I needed him?

"Little busy, yo!" I heard him shout off to my side. Sparing a glance to my right, I quickly discovered why he hadn't jumped in; a horde of monsters was surrounding him and…

"ZACK! KUNSEL! Why the hell—" I started to shout before I saw the blade slashing out in an arc. I barely had time to bend just out of the attack's range. Hastily shuffling my feet beneath me, I found myself with my back edging towards an insurmountable wall of rubble.

I sent another glance off to where Reno was at.

Sure enough, Kunsel and Zack were there too. They had followed us; I had no doubt about it. With too many people entering this no man's land in the slums, the monsters couldn't resist coming out. They were completely swarmed by a mix of wyverns and cripshays and there wasn't one opening for them to get out. But from what I could determine, they seemed to be holding up at least; with Reno alongside them, Zack and Kunsel appeared to be fighting with some metal poles.

"What's going on here?" I heard Kunsel shout in confusion.

"You should know already never to take your eyes off an opponent." Lysander hissed at me, swinging his blade arm again. Only this time, I wasn't quick enough to get out of the way.

My mistake.

I held out the pistol in front of my face as a last ditch effort before Lysander's sword crashed into it. I felt my fingers go numb from the blow as one of my knees met the dirty ground; the amount of pressure Lysander was exerting on the blade was overwhelming. The barrel of the gun itself was starting to give in underneath the pressure and it would only be a matter of time before it would be cut clean through.

I was stuck with only one possible way out. Bracing myself with both of my hands grasping the handle of the gun, I pushed forward with all my might.

_Snap!_

I propelled myself into a roll just as the gun gave out. Springing back onto my feet once more, I was in the clear again only this time with Lysander having his back to a wall instead; I finally had put some distance between us, but now I was weaponless.

My breathing was ragged at this point and I was quickly tiring out. Using a hand-combat method was out of the question against a sword and my options were thinning out by the second. I winced as I realized the presence of a sharp stinging sensation; bringing a hand up to my arm, I looked and quickly realized that I had a deep gash across my left bicep and it was bleeding heavily.

My arm was out of the fight too.

Placing my hand over the cut, I applied some pressure to my arm in an attempt to slow the bleeding as Lysander spoke up again. Cackling maniacally, he looked at me. "Ah, barely putting up a decent fight? How sad. You really haven't learned anything at all. I'm going to enjoy this," he said raising his sword up.

My eyes widened and I realized that I was out of options; I couldn't hold back anymore. Hefting my good hand in front of me, I quickly began to focus, feeling a comforting warmth flood through my arm. I could even see the slightest bit of flames starting to lick my fingertips and with that, I smirked. That was when Lysander's face paled slightly and his movement faltered.

"What are…?"

And that's when the tide of the battle started changing.

"How depressing that it has come to this," A familiar voice chimed from out of nowhere. "_All that awaits you is a somber morrow_, my old mentor, _no matter where the winds may blow_."

I heard heavy boots crunching down on the ground behind me and getting closer.

"Hey Angeal, I've got this one. Help the Turk and the other two cadets." Feeling the weight of a hand on my shoulder, I tilted my gaze upward from underneath my cap to see one of the greatest sights in the entire world.I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Sit the rest of this one out." He said calmly.

The Auburn hair.

The striking blue eyes.

And now the Crimson cloak too.

Genesis Rhapsodos—my old friend—was standing next to me once again, his eyes fixed on the man now cowering in front of us.

* * *

...

_Author's note:_ And we finally see Genesis and Angeal again, at long last! I tell ya, there are also quite a few minor details in this chapter that might just have a bigger role in the future. On a side note, over fifty follows? That makes me pretty happy! And thanks to everyone who has left a review, I really like having an idea what you guys are thinking. And as for the usual, feel free to leave a comment or review!

~BlueCampanula


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: In an Instant**

* * *

**...**

I watched as Genesis took off wielding a familiar crimson sword. He immediately clashed with Lysander, sending both of the two into a flurry of motion. With only the first two strikes from Genesis, it was easy to tell how outmatched Lysander was. The fight would be a quick one.

I turned my head away from Genesis for a moment and cast a quick glance behind me; a little further in the distance, Angeal was there too and he was fighting alongside Zack, Kunsel, and Reno, helping to clear away the swarm of monsters around them.

The reunion had happened at last. In that single moment, I was feeling the happiest I'd ever been in the last five years; I couldn't even wipe the smile of my face if I tried. I guess I never realized how much I missed them. It seemed that both of my friends had certainly changed in the past five years too; they weren't the little kids I first met. No, they had gotten so much taller and had filled out with both of them donning the familiar uniform of a SOLDIER 1st class.

"Nora—duck!" Zack shouted, catching my attention suddenly.

Without questioning his command and ignoring the pain it caused, I quickly dropped to my knees just in time to avoid an aerial attack from a Deenglow. It rushed right past my head only to stop a few feet in front of me. With everyone else still preoccupied, it appeared that I wouldn't get a break after all. I peeled my right hand off of the gash on my other arm as I widened my stance a little. I was without a useable gun and my left arm was in too much pain to be of use which left me with only one choice; I was going to use magic instead.

"Do you really want to attack me just to show off to your friends?" I asked it seriously.

The creature seemingly hesitated for a moment as if it understood my words, but its moment of intelligence didn't last for long. Finding its resolve, the Deenglow finally decided to attack again. Pitching its pink wings downward, it started coming at me full speed and at the last second, I managed to roll out of the way. I quickly sprang back onto my feet in time to catch the wyvern with its back still turned to me.

"Fire!" I yelled.

The familiar warmth in my hand released and instantaneously a ball of fire erupted into life right where the monster was. The monster flailed around for a bit, maddeningly spinning and dipping through the air as if to try and extinguish the bright orange flames. Releasing an inhuman screech, it quickly collapsed to the ground and succumbed to its wound.

"Alright, one less to worry about!" I said confidently before clutching my arm again and wincing in pain. It would have been the perfect time to have cure material, but like usual it was always missing when I needed it the most. I barely stopped myself from groaning at the thought; Tseng had it. "And he said I wouldn't have to worry." I mumbled in irritation.

After this, I didn't plan on letting anybody near my materia.

"Hey, nice job with the stalling. Couldn' have worked better." Reno said sarcastically as he stumbled over to where I was. He still had his mag rod in hand and his suit was beginning to look worse for wear with several tears in the jacket and a few buttons missing from his shirt.

"Yeah, yeah," I said waving off his comment, "So what brings you back over here?" I threw a glance back towards Angeal and the other two boys; they were still bogged down by a lot of monsters.

"I jus' wanted to make sure you still had an arm to spare." He replied jokingly casting a brief glance at my injured arm.

In response, I stared at him with a blank gaze.

"Alright, I was kidding, geeze. We still have a mission to complete, and besides they're fine for now, yo." He said pointing the rod towards the others.

"Wait a second; you only said we were supposed to detain Lysander." I said in confusion.

"Did I forget ta mention that we have to apprehend him? Oops." Reno said casually. "Let's get to it then."

I tried looking at the man in question, but he and Genesis had become hidden from view with only the echoes of metal clashing as reassurance that they were there somewhere.

"Gen said he's got it covered. We'd only get in his way."

Reno cast me a look of disbelief. "A mission's a mission and we have to make sure that Lysander doesn't escape or end up dead. If ya can't do something as simple as that, you're not fit to be a Turk."

I blinked my eyes for a second trying to comprehend the meaning behind his words. The one thing I could really get from it was that he seemed to be implying that Genesis might end up killing the former 1st class, but that couldn't be right...Could it? I clutched my arm with a little more force this time before letting an irritated huff pass through my lips.

"Fine."

"Relax," he said nudging my good shoulder, "All we have to do is oversee the fight, nothin else, ya know? Besides you somehow got your only weapon destroyed, so it wouldn' be smart going against a sword."

I frowned at him; The teen didn't have any commendable ability for observation. He somehow managed to miss the fact that only moments ago I had burned the wyvern to a crisp. On the other hand, there were however quite a few things that could've blocked me from view, namely all the debris lying around and, well, Reno had yet to say anything, so…

Worked for me, no matter how damn lucky that was.

"Let's get goin'." Reno said interrupting my thoughts.

"Right."

Just as I put one foot in front of the other, black spots began parading across my vision.

"Shit." I cursed under my breath. I glanced at my arm, but the bleeding didn't look as bad as before.

Had I really lost that much blood?

"Hey Reno, you wouldn't happen to have a cure, would you?"

"Eh, I may or may not have left it back at my place…Sorry." He said with an apologetic look on his face.

"No, that's fine." I said.

Right as we started to round the corner where the fight was, that's when a new enemy made its presence known. Stepping out between me and Reno came this huge cat-like monster with a tentacle extending from its back and two more of the same monsters trailing behind. The one in the middle was almost the size of a baby elephant.

"Well, well…guard hounds, eh? I call dibs on the big one, yo." Reno said with enthusiasm.

"Right, and I'll backhand the other two with my good arm." I deadpanned.

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Reno shouted as he charged forward brandishing the mag rod without a second thought. He got within two feet of the huge guard hound before it leaped forward too, practically sending Reno flying backwards into a field of debris. I watched him spring back up and attack again; the two quickly went out of sight.

I would have rolled my eyes at Reno and his actions had it not been for the fact that the other two guard hounds started closing in on me. Analyzing the situation quickly, I made the split decision to get to higher ground. I propelled forward in a sprint and skirted around the two hounds.

That was when a third one came out.

"Oh, great," I mumbled under my breath, "It's one of _those _days."

Reno wasn't nearby anymore, Genesis was in a fight, and Angeal was occupied too. I was boxed in now, with no way out. My lip was beginning to twitch in anger.

The three enemies began closing in on me slowly, watching me with hungry eyes. To my left, one of the hounds took off and lunged at me; I kicked at it full force with a swing of my leg as I hastily sidestepped another incoming attack from one of the other hounds.

"I've had enough for one day." I seethed to myself.

I took one step towards the hounds, two of them which stopped to look at me. The third wasn't as smart though; it decided to lash out at me when I retaliated against it.

"Inferno!" I said forcing my hand forward.

Out of nowhere, a whirlwind of fire descended on the middle guard hound. Intense waves of heat radiated through the air as the column of fire engulfed the beast. It lasted all what appeared to be three seconds, before completely vanishing, leaving only a trace of ash behind. Without stopping to admire my attack, I followed up and began targeting the other two hounds.

"Lightning." I said as I watched a bolt spark from my hand. I quickly dashed forward at the beast, following up with a swift kick to its side; I could feel a sickening crunch beneath my boot.

I turned to the last one; it was beginning to flee towards Genesis who by now had disarmed and forced Lysander onto his knees.

My eyes widened slightly as I finally realized that the hound had picked a new target; it was heading straight for the weaker man—Lysander. At the rate that it was going, the guard hound was going to take out the former 1st class in one blow while the other didn't see it and I was too far away to intercept it pausing to think, I charged forward too. As quickly as I could, I hurled a fireball straight at the hound.

The beast took the blow and faltered a little, but continued onward as if driven by an unseen hand.

"Gen! Behind!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Genesis looked in my direction a moment in visible shock before flicking his sword straight through the remaining hound. Its flesh made a sickening squelch with the blade digging into it and then moments later, the beast lay on the ground dead.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I silently congratulated myself; the crisis had been averted and I could hopefully count this mission as a success. Still puffing air in and out, I smiled as I bent over to catch my breath. The hounds were gone and Lysander was alive and subdued. I was even well on my way to becoming a Turk and, on top of things, I could finally see my friends again; perhaps the day hadn't been so bad.

"Sibyl?" I heard Genesis ask uncertainly.

I snapped my head up at the sound of my name to face the auburn haired teen. I reached up to take off the cap on my head. "Who else do you think could get into this much trouble?" I said back with enough sarcasm as I could muster.

"Hmph. I see that some things never change, brat."

"Is that what you—Hey!" I snipped with his words registering in my mind.

"You have got a lot of explaining to do." Genesis said curtly as he sheathed his sword back at his side.

I cringed; an interrogation after such a long mission? I didn't like the sound of that at all.

"How are you still alive?" Lysander voiced the question in barely a whisper.

Both me and Genesis turned our attention towards him.

I walked over to where Genesis stood before answering. "Hey," I started, "I'll have you know that I _can_ fight. Give me materia and we'll find out who's left standing."

I was about to say something more when I was interrupted.

"I see that you took down Lysander. The other two cadets are safe as well."

I turned my head excitedly.

"Angeal!" I said as he finally came into view.

Catching sight of me, he smirked and crossed his arms.

"As it turns out, the informant wasn't wrong. I thought I recognized the back of your head from somewhere—good to finally see you again Sibyl."

I found myself unconsciously tugging at a piece of my hair; even though it had grown out a little, it was still ridiculously looking. No matter what I did, nothing seemed to change it.

"Speaking of whom, where is this informant?" Genesis spoke up.

"Right here, yo." Reno said as he stumbled out into the open; he was nearly covered in head to toe with…something. The smile on my face steadily curved into a frown as I covered my nose. Whatever that something was, it was absolutely rancid.

"Reno, what exactly did you roll into during your fight?" I choked out in disgust.

Irritation showed on his face. "Don't remind me." He said with his nose scrunching up. "And we have Lysander now. Mission accomplished."

After wiping his hands against his pants, Reno pulled out his phone and began dialing the buttons, placing it up to his ear.

"You two don't have to stay in the back. Come on out." Angeal said, turning to look behind him. Where Angeal had his gaze, both Zack and Kunsel stepped out from behind the rubble and they joined us in the clearing.

"I'm glad to see you two made it out okay." I said. Sure their uniforms were torn up, but they didn't look like they had any major injuries. I smiled weakly, stealing a grateful glance at Angeal. "Wouldn't have expected any less."

Silence started to settle over the area.

"Oh, I guess I should…give some introductions, yeah?" I smiled again. Turning my attention back to the two boy, I caught the odd glances they were sending in my direction. Zack tilting his head a little in…Concern? Brushing the looks aside, I began speaking none the less.

"My name is Sibyl Lasko, and these two," I said motioning to Angeal and Genesis, "are my childhood friends—Angeal and Genesis. Angeal and Genesis, meet my new friends, Zack and Kunsel."

Right after saying that, my muscles went slack and then my vision slipped into darkness.

* * *

...

?

"Why does this always happen with you?" Genesis questioned under his breath after he stopped his long lost friend from collapsing. He carefully placed the girl on the ground and started analyzing the gash on her left arm. Genesis had been so furious at Lysander that he failed to notice that Sibyl had received an injury; he knew his former teacher had a knack for using poison on his blades which tended to be very lethal.

Sure enough, Genesis could detect the tell-tale signs of poisoning, but it was nothing a materia couldn't handle. The two cadets nearly came rushing forward in concern upon seeing Sibyl collapse, barely stopping short of the 1st class and staring on in alarm.

"Is she gonna be alright?!" Zack shouted in panic.

Angeal held out his hand, stopping the two boys from swarming the girl. "Genesis?" he asked.

He watched as Genesis finished pulling out a pale green materia from his pocket and quietly casted a spell over the wound on Sibyl's arm. Looking up at Angeal, he finally responded. "Slight poisoning, but it's been taken care of. She'll wake up in a little bit." He stated calmly.

"That's good then…" Kunsel said in relief.

Genesis fished out another materia—a cure this time—and sealed up the cut on her arm. It was a good thing he and Angeal came straight here from the front lines, otherwise he wouldn't have had the right materia on him. As he wrapped a bandage around the still raw cut, Genesis heard the click of a phone being shut.

"All right we're—what did I miss?!" Reno said as he quickly walked back over with a look of concern dashing over his features.

"Poisoning, but everything'll be fine." Angeal answered. He turned to the two cadets. "Let's head back to the Shinra building. We could all use some rest."

Reno nodded his head without a single question as he walked over to Lysander and grabbed him by the arm. "Any funny moves and you'll get knocked out." He said threateningly to the man as he hauled him to his feet.

Genesis turned back to his friend and scooped her up in his arms before carefully placing her over his shoulder. He couldn't help but wonder how many times he was going to have to save her. Even after her five year absence, it appeared that she hadn't changed much habit wise; she was still getting into trouble no matter how he looked at it.

It had been…what was it now, six years since he stumbled across her?

And he could remember that day very well.

He and Angeal had ventured off into the woods on that bright spring day just after a massive storm; the suffocating humidity in the air around Banora had completely vanished leaving nothing but a warm breeze behind. While Genesis might have expected the possibility of running into smaller monsters in the woods, he never imagined finding a sickly looking, frail girl in the creek.

Stunned at first, Genesis originally called out to her, asking if she was okay. The only response he had gotten was a slight turn of the girl's head. Her eyes opened and the only color he could see was this blood red; but the look the girl's eyes had was almost empty. Immediately he called Angeal who was a little ways behind him as he ran towards the child. Wading a little into the water, he carefully pulled her out and onto the bank of the creek. That was when he realized how fast the girl was fading. He quickly hoisted her onto his shoulder as Angeal came up behind him.

Hastily explaining the situation, both he and Angeal took off through the woods back to town. Later on, the girl would be taken in and cared for by Ale and Agatha Kallas—two former Shinra scientists who used to work for the now disgraced Dr. Hollander. When he and Angeal had finally realized that she had run away from Banora months after they had left, Genesis was angry at first, to say the least. Later on though, he realized it was probably for the best when he discovered what Ale and Agatha were up to.

Genesis frowned at that thought: Sibyl had no idea how much she was being used by her two so called 'guardians'. Putting those thoughts in the back of his mind, Genesis straightened up before he started walking; the sooner they got back to the Shinra building, the better. They were more likely to be attacked by another wave of monsters the longer they remained in place, especially traveling in such a big group.

"Move out." He commanded.

"Uh, hey wait a second!" Zack spoke up behind him.

"What is it?" Genesis said sternly as he turned around to face the cadet. He watched as the younger boy held out something in his hands.

"Here, I don't think she'd want this left behind. It must have slipped off when she was fighting."

Reaching out his hand, Genesis took what the boy was holding. What it was surprised Genesis a little; it was the ribbon that he had given her a while back. She had kept it with her after all this time.

Not saying anything, Genesis merely tucked the ribbon into his coat pocket before he continued walking.

Some things just didn't change, he thought quietly to himself.

* * *

...

(?)

"So…a Turk?" Kunsel asked Reno curiously.

"You betcha!" Reno responded enthusiastically.

Currently the small group sat in an empty car on the train; needless to say that the main reason it had emptied was because of whatever was on Reno's suit. Lysander was handcuffed to one of the rails while Angeal stood guard next to the doors. The rest were sitting on the green seats that lined the walls of the train. No sooner had they sat down, Kunsel and Zack were quick to ask questions, and lots of them; Reno and Angeal stood by to answer their questions patiently while Genesis sat across from the inquisitive boys with Sibyl lying down unconscious on the seat next to him.

"Why is that not surprising?" Genesis muttered to himself.

"It figures that Sib would end up in the Turks," Angeal started saying, "She was always a lot smarter than any other kids we knew."

"Yeah, after today, she's definitely got my vote!" Reno said with a smile. "She practically took on those two guard hounds with her bare hands, n' that's skill, yo."

Angeal saw Genesis shake his head at the Turk's words before pulling out his book and staring at it in concentration. Angeal recognized that look; Genesis was thinking about something, but he didn't know what.

"So, what exactly prompted you boys to follow a Turk through the wastelands of the slums?" Angeal asked with a serious expression turning his gaze away from his friend.

"Well…it was kinda my idea." Zack admitted with a guilty smile. "I didn't like the idea of Nor—I mean, uh, Sibyl going off on her own; the three of us said we'd stick together. But I never expected that..." The boy looked away without finishing the sentence and instead had his brows furrowed together in thought.

"You don't have to shoulder all the blame, you know?" Kunsel cut in. "I agreed with him too. We went to make sure we could all return together."

Angeal studied the two intensely before an approving smile appeared on his face.

"It sounds like you two will make excellent SOLDIERS one day, if not soon."

Zack and Kunsel both breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Zack decided to speak again. "Um, Hewley, sir?" The words tumbled out of his mouth.

"Angeal is fine cadet." Angeal responded. "What is it?"

"Can I...see that broadsword?" The boy asked curiously, tilting his head as if to study the object in question; his expression almost reminded Angeal of a puppy.

Angeal shook the thought out of his head before answering. "First become a SOLDIER and prove to me what kind of person you are; then maybe we'll see about that."

The cadet's shoulders slumped at his words and he clenched his hand a little. For a moment and Angeal almost felt bad despite the fact that he hadn't known the boy for that long. From what he had seen though, the cadet had a lot of potential if not more; At some points during their battle against the monsters, Angeal could have sworn the kid fought as if he had some previous experience, but perhaps that was merely coincidence.

For certain though, he would be someone to look out for in the future.

"Hmph."

"What's funny?" Angeal asked focusing his attention back on Genesis.

"Ah, Nothing." Genesis quipped, quickly turning his attention back to the book.

"You're not going to start—"

"_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end_," Genesis began reading aloud.

Angeal internally recoiled at his words while not giving away any hint of emotion on his face. The two cadets had perked up to listen to Genesis speak while it looked like Reno had begun to space out. Angeal eventually sighed three lines into the poem; he would eventually become numb to it.

"You should learn to appreciate fine poetry, Angeal. Perhaps it would do you some good to think about it." Genesis smirked at his own words without taking his eyes off of the book.

Genesis really knew him that well.

"_She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting._"

* * *

...

It was blank.

The world was blank.

It was another one of those dreams; I was the only being in existence in this empty void, but that was before someone appeared out of nowhere.

Tall, with mako blue eyes and blonde hair reminiscent of a chocobo: it was Cloud Strife.

He wore the same SOLDIER uniform that he had in the game and had Angeal's Buster sword on his back. The look in his eyes was aged and sad despite how young he looked.

"Why are you here?" I called out in question with my voice echoing.

Cloud just looked around as if trying to find the source of my voice.

"I'm over here." I said as he continued to look around.

Did he really not see me?

Then he finally looked in my direction and his eyes locked with mine.

I could see anger and resentment in those eyes, but why?

He reached a hand behind him, easily pulling out the massive Buster sword with little effort at all. His eyes were still burning a hole right through me as his hands tightened around the leather grip of the sword, readying to attack at a moment's notice.

"Hold on a second," I said taking a step back, "I'm not your enemy!"

Cloud didn't hear my words; he starting charging towards me.

I raised my hands up in a useless attempt to stop him and closed my eyes.

_Clang!_

Another sword halted the Buster sword in it tracks.

I opened my eyes to see black feathers floating down from the void's sky.

A katana sword was all that was between me and the crushing blow of Cloud's blade.

"This fight shall never end between you and I." A cold voice said echoing into the empty expanse. "Embrace what is to come."

The expression on Cloud's face turned to a rueful glare.

Cloud's first response was silent as he retreated back a few steps without taking his eyes off his new target.

"Sephiroth." He addressed the new presence.

Without me even seeing anything, a shockwave of pure energy sent me flying like a ragdoll; Cloud was now locked in battle against a figure with a single wing—Sephiroth. Ignoring my presence, the two continued their fight at inhuman speed with light clashing against dark.

"Hey!" I shouted in vain. "Stop fighting!"

I wasn't going to let this end up happening. As long as I was here, I wouldn't let Sephiroth go mad and I wouldn't see that empty, cold look in Cloud's eyes.

That was the purpose the planet had given me, right?

My pace quickened and I found myself uttering silent words I couldn't hear as I began casting a spell.

Then the fighting figures vanished in a flash of light.

"_My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess._"

* * *

...

"_Even if the morrow is barren of promises_," Genesis continued reading, "_No—_"

"—_thing shall forestall my return_. Good to know you're still reading Loveless." I responded with a groan; my head ached.

"Ah, welcome back." Genesis said as he snapped the book shut.

"Perfect timing too." Angeal added.

I opened up my eyes to see Genesis looking down at me and Angeal standing not too far off. Blinking my eyes at the change in light, I slowly sat up and took a look around; we were on the train again and had left behind the darkened world of the slums. The evening sun was already casting its warm rays into the streets of the plates above.

The pain on my arm was gone. Glancing at it, I could see a white, cotton bandage carefully wrapped around it.

"Do you know how lucky you were that Angeal and I decided to show up?" Genesis scolded me.

"Hmm," I hummed still drowsy, "well, I appreciate it." I looked up at both of them and felt a smile tugging at my lips again. "We have a lot of catching up to do, don't we? I mean, when you guys have time that is."

I paused to think.

"Hey, aren't you guys supposed to be in Wutai still? In fact," I looked straight at Angeal, "Didn't you leave recently?"

He was the first to answer me.

"Yes, that's true. I did leave about a week ago and Genesis had been gone for some time as well, but certain circumstances prompted both of us to return early."

"One being the information of Lysander's betrayal," Genesis said bitterly.

"Oh. Uh, sorry about that. I couldn't imagine what it would be like for that to happen with my teacher." I said unsure of how else to respond.

"You found a teacher?" Angeal asked with curiosity in his eyes.

"Yeah," I said perking up, "I found him on my travels. He actually saved my hide from a dragon, but—"

"A dragon?!" Genesis scoffed in disbelief. "Honestly, you're the biggest trouble magnet I know!"

"I'll have you know that I'm still alive though." I said proudly.

"Only after having somebody help it seems." Angeal teased.

"Speaking of which, I think I need to start a tally with how many times you bothered to help rescue me." I said to Genesis. "I need to help you a couple of times so that we can be even."

"And I'll laugh when a day finally comes that I need to be saved by you." Genesis said smartly as he stood up from the bench.

"Aw come on. I'm not that weak anymore!" I exclaimed in dismay.

"Where's the evidence?" Genesis asked eyeing me skeptically. "Was it when the poison made you pass out?"

My cheeks turned red in embarrassment; that wasn't exactly the way I wanted to meet my friends again. No, I wanted to show them how much stronger I was.

That was when Angeal started laughing.

"Hey!" I retorted.

"It's nice to see that you two are still bickering at each other." Angeal said.

I crossed my arms and sat back in the seat in silence. That's when I finally noticed something.

"Where did Reno and Lysander go?"

Zack and Kunsel were passed out in sleep on the bench across from me, but the Turk and prisoner were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh them?" Genesis asked without hesitating. "I got the Turk to move to the next car and he took Lysander with him."

I knew right away the reason why.

"Still, what did he roll into anyways?" I asked myself. The smell still lingered a bit as if the seats and the wooden floors had absorbed it and it was making me gag; maybe I didn't want to know what it was after all.

The train rattled underneath us as it began to chug slowly to a halt, its brakes releasing a screech; we had arrived back at one of the stations on the plate. I got up to my feet as well before noticing that my ribbon was gone. I quickly turned back to the seat to look for it, only to find that it wasn't there. It must have slipped off when we were back in the slums.

"You know," Genesis interrupted my searching, "I'm surprised you held onto this for so long."

I quickly turned my head to see him holding the ribbon in his gloved hand.

"Ah, thanks!" I said gratefully as I took the ribbon back, quickly wrapping it back around my head where it belonged.

"Thank the kid over there." Genesis replied pointing at Zack who was still asleep.

Reno poked his head into the car before entering with Lysander who was in handcuffs. Even though it looked like he had cleaned up his suit a little, the smell on Reno's suit began to engulf the small space. I unconsciously took a step towards the door with my eyes watering, ready to claw at the doors if they didn't open soon.

"Alright, are you ready ta go?" Reno asked us as if nothing was wrong.

"You two go on ahead. Genesis and I will stay with the cadets." Angeal said completely ignoring the foul smell.

Zack and Kunsel must have been exhausted from the fight earlier; they did end up going against what had to have been over thirty monsters and those weren't simulations.

"Okay then... Will I see you guys later?" I asked with a frown.

"Don't worry; we won't leave until we've had some time to talk." Angeal reassured me.

I nodded my head just as the doors opened. I would need a lot more time than just a short train ride to explain some things to them, and then after that I would probably have to talk to Kunsel and Zack as well. Setting foot outside, the crisp air met my nose and I felt the warmth of the evening sun reaching through the countless buildings on the plate.

"We're gonna go straight to Tseng's office." Reno announced as he stepped off the platform.

As he started walking, I followed a few feet away with my shirt pulled up over my nose. Seeing this, Reno stopped and said, "Fine, I'll grab a change of clothes first, we drop off Lysander, and then we go ta Tseng's office. Happy, yo?"

"Much more than you know." I said with my voice muffled by the shirt.

With that, we disembarked from the train towards the Shinra building.

* * *

...

_Author's Note:_ That is the end of Sibyl's test! A lot certainly happened in this chapter, especially with poor Reno; Sib was being a little grouchy towards him, but what can I say, she went through a lot of crap on a day off. And so Genesis and Angeal are back in the picture and we are given a little more insight to the past. But what's with the news of Sib's old guardians previously working for Dr. Hollander? Meh, we'll find out later I guess. For next chapter Sib's finally going to do some catching up with her old friends!

Small side note: I have begun editing some of my previous chapter to try and improve the writing.

And another small side note: My hat's off to anyone who recognized the random videogame quote that Sibyl dropped; I had no idea why, but I thought it would be funny adding it. (Hint: It's not Final Fantasy)

And that is the end of my longer than usual author's note. Please leave a comment or review!

Thanks a bunch!

~BlueCampanula


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Blank Spaces Part One**

* * *

**...**

Getting back to the Shinra building turned out to be the easiest part of the day. Reno and I reached it within fifteen minutes of leaving the station. It was after dropping off Lysander that I found myself once again in the familiar doorway of Tseng's office. Somewhere in between, Reno managed to change into a clean suit while I still wore what was left of the cadet uniform.

"Alrighty, Tseng. I brought the rookie just like ya wanted me to." Reno announced proudly as brazenly pushed the polished wood door open, dragging me in front of him.

Tseng sat behind his desk as he had the first time with about the same amount of papers piled up on top of it too. He simply looked up and nodded his head at Reno, not even phased by the fact that he had just barged into the quiet office space.

"And jus' so ya know, I can vouch for Siby here!"

At the nickname, I sent a sideways glare over my shoulder at the teen. He merely smiled at my reaction before jumping over into the nearest chair. I struggled to stop myself from rolling my eyes at him; he really was something else and I didn't know how Tseng was able to deal with his antics.

"Please, have a seat." Tseng addressed turning his gaze to me.

Without fighting his request, I all but collapsed into the narrow seat that I had loathed the week before, sinking into the stiff cushion as much as possible. Pulling out a stack of files from the drawers behind him, Tseng reached for a pen and began writing down what appeared to be notes while Reno sat idly by.

Tseng started speaking, reviewing my test briefly before moving on to my first 'unofficial' mission. Reno added his input as well, providing Tseng with more details on how it went while I sat quietly in my chair listening to their words and occasionally nodding my head in response.

"I must admit," Tseng finally spoke up without stopping the pen in his hand, "not many of the candidates for the Department of Administrative Research had to track down and detain a former 1st class, but the risk is not unlike our standard missions. With that in mind, this is your final chance to back down."

"I've come this far so I'm not changing my mind." I said firmly.

Reno snickered a little. "That and you had to do the written test." He commented.

"Huh?" I said turning sharply to him, "Are you telling me that not everyone has to do that?"

To my question, Reno had an amused grin plastered on his face.

"The written test is following protocol when it comes to long term candidates." Tseng responded to my question. "You have been on our recruitment list for quite some time."

"So…was that all because I left Banora?" I asked forming a connection in my mind. "Let me guess, it acts as a way to psycho-analyze someone?"

There were a bunch of unusual questions, so…

"That is correct." He answered. Tseng paused for a moment, writing down a few my words. I watched as the man then glanced back up at me with the faintest hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Care to share what it was that you were doing in the past five years?" He asked in a monotone voice. Out of the corner of my eye Reno stopped moving, seemingly interested as well with Tseng's question.

"In all honesty, sir, I was training. Training and surviving. As for where, well…I traveled all over the western continent." I replied shrugging my shoulders a bit.

"So that would explain your awesome fighting skills, am I right?" Reno commented sarcastically.

"Hey," I snapped turning to him, "I did the best I could on short notice and without my weapon of choice, mind you." I crossed my arms and continued to glare at the redhead.

I'll admit, having to deal with Lysander was something that caught me by surprise. I wasn't nearly as prepared to fight him as I should have been, especially without my materia. Despite all the training I had gone through in those last few years, I neglected to do what I was taught; Vincent would have probably prepared some horrible punishment for me with that kind of a mess up.

I shook my head of the thought.

"And that being said, you have more than proven yourself as a worthy recruit." Tseng finished writing and put the pen down on the desk. Standing up, he continued. "As of today, you are now a part of the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department for the Shinra Electric Power Company. We are among the few selected and entrusted with the security of this company. From here on out, you are expected to perform to the best of your abilities to protect the company and its secrets."

"Alright!" I said jumping to my feet. "I won't let you down!"

"Tseng, I have the items you asked for." A familiar voice said from behind me causing me to involuntarily jump.

Tseng's office door had been opened without me even noticing.

I abruptly turned around, finding myself face to face with another Turk standing a little taller than my height; she had to have been the same one from before, the fake 2nd class. I recognized her by her voice and the curly-orangey hair that had stuck out from underneath the helmet. Instead of wearing the uniform of a SOLDIER, this time she wore the familiar black suit of the Turks.

Studying her for a quick moment, I also realized much to my relief that she held my bag in her hands; I would have my materia back.

Finally.

"Thank you Cissnei. I trust you can show Sibyl to her new living space?" Tseng asked coolly.

"Yes sir." She responded calmly.

I looked between the two in curiosity; I was being given a place to live?

* * *

...

"Remind me again why you're here?" Cissnei asked casually.

"Cause I got nothing else to do." Reno replied with a cheerful grin. The three of us currently sat in the elevator, waiting to arrive at the lower level of the Shinra building. Cissnei merely shook her head in bemusement before turning her attention back to me.

"So, welcome on board," she began speaking, "I haven't formally introduced myself, but you can call me Cissnei. I'll be guiding you around for the next week to show you the ropes. After that, you should be about ready for your own missions."

"That's it?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Judging by your report and how your skill was ranked, it shouldn't be a problem for you. Of course, we'll still have to review quite a few things in the meantime."

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

The sound of a phone going off echoed in the small space. Cissnei immediately reached into her pocket and pulled out a small black cellphone. I stared at the device in amusement; it definitely wasn't the smartphone I was used to seeing. In fact, it made me reminiscent of my middle school days when I had gotten my first phone. That was when Reno leaned over to me and started speaking.

"That's a PHS. We use it to keep in contact with one another. You'll be getting one too, with my number at the top of course."

Cissnei snapped the phone shut and put it back in her pocket.

"Now, where were we again?" She said returning her focus to us. The elevator then slowed to a stop all of a sudden and our conversation lapsed into silence. Seeing that it wasn't our floor yet, I closed the gap between the three of us to make space just as the doors slowly creaked open. But upon it opening, I felt my heart sink into my stomach at who it was that was entering the enclosed space.

Long black hair and an unmistakable white lab coat; those were the first two defining features that my eyes caught sight of first before suddenly finding the floor interesting. There was no doubt in my mind just who it was.

"I do not have time for things as petty as this," The man snapped at his companion beside him as he readjusted his glasses.

Hojo.

The man that I wanted to avoid as long as possible.

His shoes barely made a sound against the hard, metal floor as he came to stand only a few feet away from me, followed closely by another fellow—an assistant by the looks of him. The head scientist was definitely in a foul mood if the actions of the other man meant anything; the assistant's hands were slightly trembling, visibly shaking the folders he held in his possession.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as the doors of the industrial elevator slid shut once more.

I was now stuck on the elevator with that man.

Of all the people to run into, it just had to be him; the man who was directly linked to the source of my problems and also the source of my greatest fears. One little slip up and I would be dragged away to some laboratory and given some random number before wasting away by experimentation. But then again, being so close to him…gave me an opportunity to just end it all. Hojo was just a hair's breadth away and all it would take is one motion—one word to strike him down; I could sear him through and be done with him once and for all.

In the grand scheme of things, however, it couldn't be done. My only goal was solely aimed at disposing of Jenova, something that required time and patience.

As if he could hear me thinking, Hojo turned his head in our direction, acknowledging our presence. Forcing myself not to flinch, I kept my eyes forward and on the elevator door to avoid catching his gaze. His eyes briefly scanned over Reno and then Cissnei before his gaze paused on me for a moment.

Hojo let out an irritated huff before turning back to his other white-coated assistant.

Unconsciously, I took a slight step closer towards Reno and Cissnei, both of whom hadn't said a word. If they felt anything strange about the situation, neither of the Turks said anything. We remained in silence with only the hum of the elevator to fill the void. Trying to focus my thoughts elsewhere, I began counting the floors we passed.

One.

Two.

Three.

_Ding!_

The elevator came to another stop, opening its doors yet again. I stopped myself from breathing a sigh of relief as Hojo and his assistant left the space as quickly as they came. Luck was on my side today that I wouldn't have to be in that man's presence for long. As soon as they stepped off the elevator, I kept my eyes trained on the elevator doors as if the mad scientist would suddenly decide to return.

Thankfully he didn't.

"Boy I never get used to that," Reno said breaking the heavy silence, "You know that it's never a good day when you see Hojo in the elevator—after all, the mad scientist never leaves the labs, yo!" He laughed as if amused by the whole situation.

Cissnei rolled her eyes before sending me a reassuring smile. "That was professor Hojo," she offered, "There's no need to really be bothered by him, he's the head of the company's science research division. Then again, many in SOLDIER view him as their doctor."

"After seeing him only once, I know I wouldn't want that guy to be my doctor." I said with a shudder, allowing my distaste to show.

"What, ya don't trust him?" Reno asked sarcastically.

"To be frank, I only trust two kinds of doctors." I responded looking at him seriously.

"Oh? What kind?" Cissnei asked lightly.

"Either my own or a dead one." I said with a blank look on my face.

Reno burst into laughter at my answer as if it was the funniest thing he ever heard and within seconds was hanging onto the guide rail for support. Even Cissnei let out a small, almost unnoticeable snort at my remark.

I felt my unease slip away as I cracked a small smile on my face.

"So, where are we heading again?"

* * *

...

As it turned out, my new living space that Cissnei was guiding me to was in another part of the Shinra building—or, well, in an adjacent building that branched off from the main headquarters.

That building was one of several grey cylindrical towers that surrounded the equally grey main building. I was told that one floor alone contained at least six spacious apartments, all of which undoubtedly contained a clear view of Midgar's streets with the Mako reactors in the distance. Even though it came to about half the height of the Shinra Headquarters, the building itself was still big enough to contain countless more rooms in addition to the apartments that were already there.

That one building alone was home for most of the major players in the Shinra Company too; Most of the Turks, several department heads, SOLDIERS—practically everyone except for minor workers lived under one roof unless you took the time to formally request a space out in the city.

I asked Reno about it and he just laughed.

"Too much paperwork, yo. 'sides, we practically work 24/7 anyhow." He had said.

The Shinra Company was obviously paranoid about its secrets being spilled, so much so that they went to great lengths to keep everyone who was well within the company under surveillance. I had picked that out as soon as Reno mentioned that Genesis and Angeal lived there too. It didn't surprise me one bit. Learning where it was that Shinra housed everybody was actually interesting, something never mentioned in the games.

Something that worried me, however, was the fact that I was seeing cameras posted on every corner we walked around on the way to my apartment. Catching onto my expression, Cissnei was quick to reassure me that the Cameras wouldn't be in the actual apartment; it was merely a security precaution. I'll admit that I felt relieved when she said that, but that still wasn't going to stop me from making sure my apartment wasn't bugged; invasion of my own privacy was one thing I wouldn't stand for.

After arriving and showing me around briefly, Reno and Cissnei left to retire to their own apartments, both of which were located on the same floor as mine and not too far off. That left me where I was now;standing alone in a rather large, rather empty apartment. I'll admit, the apartment was very nice. It had no furniture yet, obviously, but combined with the sun's light, the expensive wood floors echoed a lot of warmth on the white-washed walls.

Furniture shopping was definitely at the top of my list for when I would receive my first paycheck. Because I didn't know how long I would be there, I wanted to at least feel somewhat comfortable and I didn't mind at all the opportunity to decorate my own apartment.

Setting my worn out bag on the mattress, the only piece of furniture in my new bedroom, I contemplated for a moment about my next move. I had the rest of the evening free to do what I wanted. The first thought that popped into my head was about Zack and Kunsel; I had promised to explain to them what happened, but that would probably have to wait for tomorrow. Curfew for all cadets would be in two hours, and that didn't leave me much room to go looking for them—that and I didn't feel like running into anyone else yet.

After a few more seconds, I finally came up with an idea. "Alright," I announced to myself, "time to go find Gen and Angeal!"

With that, I marched out of my apartment, making sure to take my card keys with me.

* * *

...

Genesis' apartment was…modern.

Very modern.

The layout was similar to my own; spacious and well lit. The only difference was that it was fully furnished although the furniture it contained made the apartment's atmosphere stiff and uncomfortable. Perhaps that was just they way I viewed it though; I never did like the boxy style of modern furniture that much. It was only the presence of books that softened the look of the apartment.

It wasn't hard to make my way to the correct floor where his apartment was located. I had gone to Cissnei and asked for both Angeal's and Genesis' apartment numbers and it had just so happened that Genesis had his apartment closer to mine being only one floor away. When I got there, it took me less than five minutes to sneak into the apartment. As it turned out, the building shared a similar weakness with the main one in the fact that the air vents were large enough for someone my size to fit through.

I briefly made a mental note to eventually point that out to someone; it clearly was a breach in security, but not that I minded at the moment. It had at least allowed me to get into Genesis' apartment without much hassle. The only problem I faced afterwards, though, was that his apartment was empty. Genesis was nowhere to be found.

"Genesis?" I called as I poked my head into what I assumed was his bedroom.

As expected, there was no response.

Sighing, I turned around and walked back into the living room and ignored my urge to snoop around; I knew that Genesis wouldn't like it if I went digging through all of his stuff. There was however one thing that I couldn't stop myself from doing; walking back into the living room, I found myself face to face with one of the largest bookshelves I had ever seen. My feet automatically reacted as I walked over and began scanning the shelves with curious eyes.

I would have to wait for Genesis and Angeal to come to me, so why not sit down and bury my nose in a good book?

…

"I don't believe it—how did you manage to get in here?" Genesis said hardly restraining himself from groaning.

I looked up from the book I was reading and cracked a grin on my face; Genesis finally stood in the doorway with his eyes slightly narrowed at me. Carefully closing the book, I placed it on the glass coffee table in front of me.

"Through the air vents." I said truthfully.

He stared at me for a moment.

"How did you really break into my apartment?" Genesis asked skeptically.

"I think she's telling the truth." Angeal said casually walking in the door behind him. Genesis stepped aside to let him pass as he shut the door behind him.

"Thanks Angeal!" I said cheerfully. I could always count on Angeal to back me up with these kind of things; he usually believed me.

"You know, I get the strangest sense of déjà vu from this." He then said as he took a seat on the barstool facing into the living room. I nodded my head in agreement; he did have a point. The whole situation right now was reminiscent of the first time all three of us were together. I had snuck in just the same and ended up browsing through Genesis's library of books before waiting for both him and Angeal to show. Looking back on it now made it such a bittersweet memory, one that I wish I could relive again.

While I appreciated it, Genesis didn't look amused by Angeal's remark; instead he was really annoyed and it was, no doubt, because I had yet again managed to weasel my way into one of his places again. Trying to ease his glare, I finally addressed him. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I won't enter your apartment—"

"—Break in," Genesis corrected.

"—without your permission. Heck, I'll even use the door next time."

Genesis remained silent for a moment as if mulling over my words. "Fine." He mumbled.

"You knew that both of us would turn up at the same time, didn't you?" Angeal asked in amusement.

"It was a guess. That or you guys could use the PHS to call each other." I said leaning back into the leather couch that I sat in. "It seems that I still know you guys well!"

How hard was it really to find them?They were best friends after all, so of course they'd spend time together doing…whatever the heck it was they did for fun outside of sparring and exploring. That and I didn't think that they had much anyone else to be friends with, aside from Sephiroth.

"Yes, well we were looking for you anyways." Genesis said as he took a seat on the chair opposite me.

"Cissnei actually told us where you'd gone." Angeal added.

"And now you can finally tell us what it is that you have been up to these past five years." Genesis said with curiosity laced in his words.

"Well," I said, "Where to start?"

* * *

...

(_Late 1992_)

My stomach was tying itself in knots as I sat on the cold, hard ground. My eyes were fixed on the man in front of me now—Vincent Valentine; Cloud's brooding and self-loathing ally. The red cloak he wore stood out in stark contrast with the green-needled pine trees that dotted the landscape. It was only a split second before that the cloak and the man himself had resembled a nightmarish creature.

The wind stirred through the trees, breaking the eerie silence that had followed the final gunshot and I let go of a breath I didn't know that I was holding. As if breaking out of a trance, the former Turk's eyes snapped towards me and he stared me down with a critical gaze. He then sharply turned away from me, noiselessly stepping forward on the crunchy needles littering the ground.

I stretched out my hand towards the retreating figure.

"Please wait!" I said, finally finding the words to speak. Standing back up on my feet, I stumbled forward a bit before jogging past the mass of sparkling green scales that was the dragon, aiming to catch up to the man in red.

"I cannot help you." He answered quietly as I caught up to him; his strides were rather fast as I struggled to match his pace.

"But I need your help," I pleaded, "I came all this way to find you! I know who you are. You—"

_Click!_

I blinked my eyes a few times before realizing that there was something shiny being pointed near my face; I found myself staring down the barrel of Cerberus, Vincent's famed shotgun. My back stiffened and my face went white before I finally noticed where it was aimed. Angling my head over my shoulder, I tried to see what it was the man was targeting through the undergrowth of the trees. There was something stirring through the underbrush, and it was getting closer.

The wind shifted through the trees again, carrying with it an unmistakable call.

"Wark!"

A faint smile crept onto my face as a yellow-feathered bird walked into view. It would seem that he didn't completely abandon me; all of my supplies had even remained intact from the bird's flight away from the dragon.

"Bo?" I questioned with some relief in my voice. Beside me, Vincent holstered his gun. He quickly resumed his long strides, taking an unknown path through the thinning woods.

"You have your way back, now leave."

My smile dropped again as I ran to his side once more with Bo following closely behind. "Weren't you listening? I've been looking for you." I tried again.

As soon as I said that, Vincent's eyes met mine for a brief moment. He then turned his eyes forward, merely shaking his head as if he had been thinking something.I slowed to a stop and watched in confusion as he kept walking, showing no sign of hesitation with his decision. Looking to my only companion, I spat out a hushed complaint to him.

"Was this all for nothing? I mean, come on!"

I leaned up against the gnarled brown wood of one of the trees, not caring about the sap sticking to my ragged clothing. Having exhausted the only options I could come up with, I was left with nothing but the feeling of anger and even disappointment welling up inside of me: My plan was in shambles. The first person I went to find, Dr. Lucrecia Crescent, was already eaten up inside by depression. Seeing me, she seemed to shut down and ignored anything I had to say. She was begging me to leave her in her misery and I had a gut feeling that it was because my appearance reminded her too much of Vincent.

That same man was rejecting me in a similar way, trying to walk away. I had no one to help me out; no one to help me understand, no one to help me train. And the Goddess had told me that I wouldn't be alone. Her words were becoming more like a lie by the second. But…

I had traveled all this way, and it wouldn't be for nothing. Gouging my fingers into the wood, I stood up straight and walked over to Bo. After running a hand over his silky feathers, I took a deep breath before mounting the bird; I wasn't going to let Vincent Valentine slip away. Perhaps a different approach was necessary. Giving the bird a nudge in the side, his claws dug into the dirt below and he charged forward. The trees began rushing by as we rapidly gained ground on the former Turk. I tugged on Bo's yellow feathers and directed him into the man's path, cutting him off.

Jumping down to the ground, I met Vincent's gaze unwavering.

"Look, I _need_ to prevent certain things from ever happening. Things aren't going to work out if neither you nor Dr. Crescent are willing to help me. And I don't know how, but you heard my call for help—you came all the way out here to save my hide. There has to be a reason for all of this!" I threw my hands up in the air, finishing my last sentence.

Vincent's expression—I couldn't exactly tell what it was, but I knew then that I finally had his attention.

* * *

...

_Drip._

_Drip._

The consistent dripping of water echoed through the uncomfortable silence, bouncing off the crystalline walls of the cave. I waited in anticipation for someone—anybody to say something. Lucrecia spoke quietly, raising her eyes from the ground to look straight at me.

"Why…Why didn't you tell me before that you could save Sephiroth?"

With her brown eyes boring into my own, I struggled to tear my gaze away.

"She knows of Sephiroth?" Vincent said sending a questioning glance at me. "You only mentioned the future. Why?"

I fidgeted under their critical stares.

"I didn't say anything because…I didn't want to make any false promises." I clenched my hands into tight fists and brought my eyes back up to face the two people standing before me. "I may have information about the future, but at this rate I don't know what future _will _come. There are…so many things that can go wrong. Me being here, I am nothing but a liability. There's no telling whose death I could cause from my actions."

"You came to us for guidance." Vincent stated.

I nodded my head.

"I figured that the both of you would be the least risky to approach while also being the most helpful. I'll get straight to the point; I need to get into Shinra, find Jenova and destroy it."

"Is that all?" Vincent asked almost doubtfully.

I shrank a little under his unblinking gaze.

"Look, I know it's not well planned out at this rate, but I at least have the goal. How is the main key. I just have this feeling that if Jenova was gone, things would become a lot easier. I also know that you guys aren't on the best of terms with each other, but…"

"Being a former Turk, I would be of great use to you. And if it means preventing further sins…" Vincent spoke up before turning his gaze on Lucrecia.

"I…will help you to the best of my abilities as well." She said avoiding his gaze.

* * *

...

(_Early 1993_)

"Are you sure this is your best idea?" Vincent asked quietly with his gaze fixed on the mansion that stood before us. It sat alone underneath the dark shadow of an overhanging cliff, with its exterior slowly crumbling away like a rotted corpse. The once lush mountainside had given way to a dead, brown expanse of land that I was finally able to recognize as Mt. Nibel. Not a sign of life was to be seen for miles.

I turned to glance at Lucrecia; her eyes seemed to refuse to look anywhere near the direction of the mansion, and instead focused on the dry ground at her feet.

"Yes," I finally answered after a few minutes. "Even though it's a bit risky, it has some of the materials we need, right?"

The mansion would provide us with not only shelter, but at least the bare minimum of lab materials needed to do research on my ability; I needed to at least find out the extent of it and what I could do and work with that. The mansion was isolated from most outside contact, serving as the perfect place to train for the next few years as well. It would be our base of operations, hidden from the eyes of Shinra yet right under their own noses. Then again, even with the resources the mansion could provide, research on my ability was bound to take some time, especially if we wanted to keep our presence a secret. Materials would have to be gathered and others replaced; it had to be kept flawless.

The man nodded his head in confirmation to my question.

Pulling at the rusted latch on the gate, it swung open with an eerie creek. I took my first few steps towards the empty building, kicking up some dust before turning to look behind me. Vincent had taken a few steps in the gate before stopping while Lucrecia hadn't moved an inch, not even to look up at the mansion.

"Dr. Crescent?" I asked softly with my voice carrying over the empty space.

She didn't respond except for a subtle flinch. Vincent…he was concerned about her, I could tell. He took a hesitant step in her direction, but stopped as if a wall existed between the two of them.

"I…understand if you have changed your mind." I said softly. "I—"

"No." She said sharply cutting me off. "I have to do this. I need to do this for him…" She finally looked up from the ground with a small fire burning in her brown eyes; a look of determination and yet utter desperation. I watched her as she began taking a few steps forward, gradually picking up her pace and walking in front of me towards the cursed building. That was probably when I started to see Lucrecia Crescent in a different light; she was a broken person—a mother who felt that she failed her duties; someone who believed she was the reason another was condemned; someone who was empty and just wanted to die yet lived on.

I began to feel…Pity.

No longer annoyance.

She was just as real as anyone I knew, not just some minor character from a story.

"Here it began. And now…Will this be its continuation or its end?" Vincent asked with his eyes trained on the haunting mansion before us.

I stared back at Vincent, pondering his vague question in my own way.

Would I be able to make that difference?

* * *

...

(_Present_)

"So you basically suckered some random stranger into being your teacher after he already had to save you?" Genesis interrupted.

Shifting my position on the couch, I draped my hand over the armrest and leaned forward. "When you put it that way, you're making it sound like I conned someone." I said in irritation. I pinched the bridge of my nose before sighing. "May I continue?" I asked sarcastically.

"But, of course." Genesis answered similarly.

"That first year that I was traveling and you guys were gone, it was…" I trailed of in thought. I wasn't really sure how to describe it. The beginning leg of my journey had been almost wonderful, but it quickly went downhill after the first week. I had quickly become fed up with everything. Those months on the road had been nothing short of taxing. I had to go days without food and sometimes had to push myself beyond the limits I even thought possible, traveling all the way across a foreign continent.

When I had finally found Vincent Valentine, tired was the one word I could use to sum up how I felt about everything. I had become tired of stumbling around in the dark, tired of being alone for so long, and I was tired from the heartache of missing home. And yet…there was some invisible force that drove me forward.

That was how I made it.

"I certainly don't think I'd want to do it again, that's for sure!" I chuckled as I finished my thought. "It was after the dragon that my teacher agreed to train me. I can't even count how many times I had to run obstacle courses up and down the side of Mt Nibel—the fact that there were no trees around made things so much worse!"

"Sounds like you've had quite the adventure since we left." Angeal commented. "Hey, who is your teacher, exactly?"

"Yes, you never mentioned a name. Where is he from?" Genesis added now sitting up at the edge of his chair.

"Um, well…That's a rather long story and he prefers to stay under wraps. I can say though, I'll introduce you guys whenever I see him again." I couldn't exactly say that my teacher was a dead-yet-not-dead former Turk. That wouldn't be the best thing for me to do. And then again, they probably wouldn't believe me either…I could only imagine the priceless looks on their faces if I did tell them.

"Hey, enough about me. So what about you guys?" I asked changing the subject. "I may have overheard somewhere that you have fan clubs."

Reno had spoken about it in the elevator—well, mostly about how he wanted a fan club too. He started claiming that I was going to be his ticket in, being a close friend of two young and already famous First Class SOLDIERs. At my words, Angeal visibly cringed while Genesis' face went a few shades whiter.

"Whoa," I said watching their reactions, "Is it really that bad?"

A small laugh slipped through my lips in amusement; looking at them, one would think that they were traumatized.

Two 1st class SOLDIERS who fought on the front lines of the war were terrified of some fans?

Angeal tried shaking it off before glancing back at me. "You have no idea."

"Meh, what are you guys? Almost seventeen, right?" I asked remembering off the top of my head. "You'll probably get numb to it eventually. It can't be worse than Wutai, yeah?"

"Hmph. You can't exactly eradicate that problem." Genesis remarked. "Besides, it would also be rather bad publicity."

"They come from out of nowhere and: They. Just. Don't. Leave." Angeal emphasized.

"Hey, hey," I said with a reassuring grin, "now that I'm a Turk, maybe I could protect you guys from the horrors that are your fan clubs?"

"Hmm…" Genesis thought, "That might just work!"

"Really?" I asked in surprise; I never would have thought he would actually agree with me for once, even if it was over something so silly. Was he that desperate?

"I think I have an idea." Angeal said with a gleam in his eyes. "We'll just call you when we're in a tight spot…"

"And use you as a heroic sacrifice against the raging masses while we make our escape." Genesis finsished.

The two SOLDIERs shared a look before they burst out laughing.

"Funny." I commented blandly.

Sobering up from his bout of laughter, Angeal took a small breath.

"Ah, you know that we wouldn't actually do that though."

I smirked at him before responding. "Yeah, I figured. That and this guy," I said pointing at Genesis, "would never in a million years ask for my help."

"And that will never change, brat." Genesis quipped.

Before I could respond to Genesis, Angeal spoke up again.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go grab a few things from my place. It's getting dark out and I don't know about you guys, but food is sounding really good right about now."

"Wait a second, you cook?!" I said shooting out of my seat.

Angeal Hewley—1st Class SOLDIER—was a cook?

I always knew that Genesis was a hardcore bookworm, but I never put any thought into any of Angeal's hobbies. The only time I ever really saw him was when I was hanging around to pester Genesis.

In the small group that I called my friends, I had been the only one who knew how to cook and always got excited about the prospect of food. They never understood it and usually laughed at how I acted and listened intently whenever I went on a rant about foods they usually never heard about. And if Angeal could cook, that meant that I had finally found a friend who actually liked cooking and food as much as I did.

The man in question got up from the bar stool and stretched his arms out a little, reaching them towards the ceiling.

"I picked it up over the years."

"Then I challenge you to a cook off!" I shouted, pointing my finger at him, not even bothering to restrain my glee.

"And I can already foresee your defeat." Genesis added still sitting in his chair.

I turned my head and pouted at him.

"Heh, maybe some other time." Angeal suggested. I looked back at him just as he started walking towards the door. Pulling it open, Angeal paused in the doorway. "I'll be back in a couple of seconds. You two play nice."

The door shut behind him, leaving me and Genesis behind.

"We are better friends than that." I scoffed at the closed door.

"Right?" I asked facing Genesis once more.

Genesis didn't respond. Instead, he sat in the chair deep in thought with a concentrated look on his face; a look that was aimed at me. I felt myself slightly unnerved especially because I wasn't used to seeing my old friend with that kind of a look. It could only mean trouble.

"Um…" I said uncertainly. "Are you still there, Gen?"

"I said that you would have some explaining to do." He said with his voice breaking through the tension in the air.

"What do you mean?" I asked with my voice wavering slightly. Genesis was still staring at me and it was starting to creep me out.

"I know what I saw." He snapped. Genesis then sighed impatiently; I made it quite obvious that I wasn't going to give him answers if he didn't straight out say what he was talking about. "In the fight earlier—you cast a fireball at the guard hound to stop it from attacking."

"Well, materia—" I began.

"You didn't have any materia on you." Genesis cut in holding up his hand to stop me. "Nothing to equip it with on a standard cadet uniform, no sign of it in your hands or in your pockets. I highly doubt that the Turks would even allow concealed weapons in an undercover operation _inside_ the military academy. Not enough of a risk. And that also doesn't explain that problem with your eyes."

I slapped a hand to my forehead. My plans for getting into the Turks went smoothly, but now something finally slipped. I knew that this would happen-that eventually I'd become careless and that somebody else would eventually find out about my little secret no matter how hard I worked to hide it. Well...At least it was Genesis.

"Shit. I guess that I couldn't hope to hide that for longer, huh?" I slumped back into the couch I was sitting on, running a hand through my hair. "You caught me. I can use magic. Happy, Sherlock?"

No point in hiding the truth from him now.

Genesis knew.

He had seen.

* * *

...

Author's note: Hey everybody! It's been awhile, I know. I was busy with getting ready to return to school and also couldn't figure out how to get this chapter quite right...Needless to say, I finally got back to it, straightened it up and deemed it ready! On a side note, I went back and revised chapter four too.

The next chapter or two is mainly going to be flashbacks to Sib's past five years, pertaining to the training she went through and her research with Lucrecia; I'll finally be answering a lot more questions too in regards to Sib's ability. With that said, it might be a while till the next chapter with my schedule being busy again.

In the mean time, please feel free to leave a review and let me know what you guys think! I really appreciate the input, whether it is about a small error or about the story in general.

Till next time,

~BlueCampanula


	13. Chapter 13

_Edited 9/9/16_

**Chapter Thirteen: Blank Spaces Part Two**

* * *

Something I could say with certainty was that the five years of training under Vincent Valentine was the most interesting and most painful thing I had ever done thus far in my life. And by painful, I meant downright hell. It was almost like going through preseason training all over again, but instead of lasting five measly days it went on for what seemed like forever. It broke me down a little and built me back up, causing me to question my own worth of who I was and in more ways than one.

But…It wasn't all that bad.

Countless days were spent learning how to fight in hand to hand combat and countless more were focused on experiments and strengthening my magic. The mechanics of a shotgun became my knowledge and my surroundings an asset; I had learned how to move, how to dodge, how to fight. And even if I wasn't the strongest fighter, I was still pretty damn capable of defending myself in a fight and making quick decisions.

Distance was my friend and magic my specialty.

It was through all of that that I found myself confiding in two strangers, sharing in their worry, and finding my confidence again. Because of them, I was pushed in the right direction. Because of them, I found my resolve. Looking back on it, I guess I could say that a lot had changed for me in those past five years.

Maybe too much.

* * *

...

(_1993_)

"Whoever invented running is an asshole." I huffed out. My eyes were fixed on the steep incline before me; about a half mile to go before I would reach the top. There was nothing in my way except for the dirt and rocks that littered the ground of the craggy mountain path.

"Do you want the wolf to catch up?" Vincent asked quietly from his perch above the path. Not sparing my new teacher a glance, I simply puffed out another breath of air before picking up my pace.

And yes, Vincent had purposefully set a wolf on my tail. Somewhere in his mind he probably thought it meant more motivation for the last stretch of my early morning runs. It had taken him all of one day to decide on that and soon enough, it became a regular thing. And I wouldn't have minded mostly—If not for the fact that several of them used me as a chew toy. Oh, and that's because Nibel wolves tended to run faster than humans, especially children…Not that I could go complain to anyone.

Not a moment later after the man spoke, I could hear the distant scratching of the beast's paws against the ground. Cursing under my breath, I started to run faster, kicking up clouds of dirt in my wake. The only sign that I was getting closer to the end was the appearance of the boulder that sat at the top of the path; every step I took slowly got me closer. I smiled through my dry lips; less than fifty yards to go. I could hear the wolf panting heavily, making it sound like it was directly behind me; that let me know that it wasn't time to slow down yet. Ignoring the burning in my legs, I kicked up my feet and forced myself into a full out sprint.

My muscles screamed at me.

My breath was ragged.

Without even stopping, I sailed past the boulder, whipping around to face my opponent. Settling into a stance, I waited for the wolf to slam into me like before. Much to my surprise, the wolf was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Vincent appeared in the path's opening with his gun out. "Was it…really…that close?" I asked in dismay as I struggled to keep myself standing up straight.

He merely shrugged his shoulders at my question.

"Let's get a move on."

* * *

...

Dr. Crescent moved about, rifling through the books on the shelves and gathering papers together. I sat in the only chair in the room behind an old wooden table, jotting down notes in a tattered book I found.

The research so far, while slow, was coming together bit by bit. Lucrecia herself had become absolutely enthralled with this little project and it wasn't long after we had starting running some small tests that she had become drawn in; it acted almost like morphine for her constant state of depression. She even took it upon herself to teach me about the new world I was in, something that in hindsight I was grateful for.

"And your blood tests…they show higher levels of Mako energy infused into your bloodstream." Dr. Crescent paused for a moment analyzing the notes in her hands. "Or maybe that is an incorrect way to describe it; the results have shown to fluctuate. Whether or not your body actually generates more of it is still uncertain, but the levels the test show are beyond anything I've ever heard of; you have enough Mako in your veins to kill at least twenty people, yet it is completely contained."

With what we had learned so far, my little ability was slowly chipping away to reveal something much bigger. Yeah, I had Mako in my system, but it acted starkly different from the Mako in a SOLDIER's body.

"So that would explain why I can use magic without the materia?" I asked looking up from the notebook.

"Yes. Do you remember what I told you about materia?" She asked.

I nodded my head.

Seeing that, she continued her explanation. "Materia are highly condensed pieces of Mako energy and they possess the same trait; contained but lethal. I can also assume that that's the reason for your eyes adjusting. The more it circulates through your system, the more noticeable it becomes. There is a possibility of it showing itself in other ways, but that remains to be seen."

So I finally had the basis for what my ability was, no matter how sketchy it was at this point. We didn't have any advanced machines to help us out; no updated records to compare it to. Everything thus far had been painstakingly done by hand with the help of chemicals and time.

"But…" I brought my gaze back onto Lucrecia as she slowly began pacing the room. Her shoes clicked against the floor as she thought in silence. Glancing back down at the notes in her hands, she frowned slightly. "There's…still some things missing—some key information."

"Well Doc," I said speaking up, "anything you find is good enough." I said as I continued writing. Lucrecia stopped her pacing for a moment and walked over to the desk, looking down at the notebook. Her eyes traced the words for a moment, showing the faintest hint of curiosity. "It's written in Latin." I supplied seeing her expression.

Without her eyes leaving the book, Lucrecia responded.

"Latin? It was a language from your home?"

"Yeah. A dead one, but that didn't stop me from studying it for six years."

"How curious…I'm afraid you'll need to change this."

"What?" I asked looking at her in confusion.

"This language—we know it as well, but not by the same name." She answered. "You'll need some other code to write in."

"Oh." I said stunned.

"Lucrecia. Sibyl." Vincent's voice stopped the scientist from saying more.

I looked in time to see Vincent appear in the doorway.

"We need to move."

Forgetting our discussion, I snapped the book shut and was on my feet helping the scientist put things back in place all the while she gathered up her own notes. Vincent had spotted someone heading up the mountain path towards the mansion. That meant it was time to disappear again.

It was the third time this week that we were interrupted; that meant it was time for more wilderness training.

* * *

...

(_Present_)

"That can explain many things…" Genesis said in deep contemplation.

"Look...You can't tell anyone. Please?" I begged in a pleading tone. "I would end up under a microscope in a second if this got out and then..."

I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying anything more. Instead, I turned my attention downward towards my hands, twiddling with my thumbs. He had gotten unusually quiet as I got further in to my story. It was clear to me though that I at least said enough for it to make some sort of sense to the 1st Class SOLDIER. With that thought, a question popped into my mind: What exactly did my 'ability' explain to him? Shifting a little, I glanced back up towards his still figure. I didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually Genesis' blue eyes met mine.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to say more? I know that you're leaving something out." He remarked smartly.

I smiled at him and chuckled sheepishly. "Nope, sorry not right now."

"Hmph. It would seem that you haven't changed at all, brat." I glanced back at Genesis to see him looking at me with an amused expression. He stood up from the leather chair and began walking over into his kitchen while I remained rooted where I stood, waiting for an explanation. "It's fine if you don't tell me." He finally said glancing back at me.

"Huh?" I blinked my eyes and tilted my head in confusion at the teen. "That's it? You're just going to accept what I have to say? No questions asked? You're not even the slightest bit curious?" I asked in disbelief.

"I didn't say that. How to put it…" Genesis said in thought. "It just fits; with you, I wouldn't expect any less. As for the questions, I can tell you that there are too many and I already know you won't tell me." Right as Genesis said that, his apartment door opened and Angeal strolled in hefting several bags behind him. "—but that's what makes a puzzle so interesting. With some thought, clues and hints can be put together, revealing the answers to those who look for them." Genesis finished vaguely.

I rolled my eyes; that was his way of saying that he wasn't going to leave it be.

He then smirked at Angeal who had stopped briefly and was eyeing the two of us suspiciously.

"You wouldn't be talking about Loveless now, would you?" Angeal asked plainly.

"Care to join?" Genesis answered with a wave of his arm.

"Nah, I've got some cooking to do." Angeal shrugged it off. "Feel free to continue though." I couldn't help but smile at Angeal's reaction. Compared to what it was five years ago, it seemed that Angeal had gotten used to Genesis and his obsession with Loveless.

With that said, Angeal placed three bags on the marble counter top and began digging through the cabinets behind him. Forgetting my concerns, I began to feel the hollowness of my own stomach. Curiosity got the better of me and I found myself edging towards the bags to look inside of them, interested in what it was that Angeal would be putting together. "You know, I was serious about having a competition." I said eyeing the bags. Before all of this was over, I wanted to be able to say that I'd had a cooking competition with a first class SOLDIER.

My brother would get a kick out of that if he'd believe me.

"We'll see about that." Angeal answered smugly. "But it might not happen for a while; there are a few more important things I have to do first."

"Like what?" I whined.

"Like returning to the front tomorrow? I only returned for this sole reason, and now that we've found you again I can return to my mission."

"Oh," I said with a frown, "I forgot Shinra's still got this war to deal with." The war with Wutai—and it wasn't a short one either. And now that I was a part of the Turks, I would most likely get tangled up in it too. While the details weren't exactly clear, I was still positive that the Turks did run missions over on the front.

"Don't think much of it. It'll be over before you know it and everybody will be celebrating." Angeal said to me reassuringly.

Celebrating.

"Oh yeah!" I said suddenly. "Hey, you guys wouldn't mind it if I cooked for you and some friends, right? I kinda promised them…" I still hadn't forgotten my promise to Zack and Kunsel. The war would wait; I needed to at least speak to the two boys before anything else happened. There was a feeling in the back of my mind that I would be seeing them a lot more and I wanted it to be on good terms.

"So demanding." Genesis responded, much to my surprise.

"Hey—!"

"But maybe that's one of the reasons we're friends."

* * *

...

(_1994_)

"An aversion to white magic? This is incredible, but what could it mean?"

"It means that I suck at white magic." I answered sarcastically.

Using a cure materia to heal up a wound was no problem. Using my magic to replicate said spell? No such luck. While it would allow me to somewhat heal someone else, it was at my own expense. We found that out after one of the glass beakers shattered on the table; Lucrecia's hand had a few red scratches tracing her fingertips while my own hand was cut up, and I wasn't the one who broke the glass.

"Tread carefully with that spell." Vincent remarked as he casted cure with his own materia.

I looked up from my hand to Lucrecia; she was busy writing something on her ever expanding pile of notes.

"Note to self: stick to elemental magic." I said.

* * *

…

(_1995_)

I had lost my temper.

In a fit of rage, I suddenly found myself wandering around in the now familiar, bald Nibel mountain range. Taking deep breaths, I slowly paced down one of the numerous trails that dotted the mountain, letting the wind help calm me down. Words had been exchanged, but I hadn't taken to them so kindly. The irritating thing was…it made sense—what Lucrecia Crescent had suggested.

These few years of research had been culminating up until this one point and now I had been given an incomplete answer.

What she had said…

"_You're exactly like he is."_

And the worst part was that Vincent agreed with her.

I sighed and looked up at the sky.

"Please, somebody! Help!" A desperate plea broke through the silence.

I inhaled sharply and I felt my heart skip a beat. Instantly, I zeroed in on the direction I heard the voice come from and without hesitation, my feet quickly guided me towards the source; it was as if my body was on autopilot. Running forward, I stopped short; where a bridge was supposed to be, I only found a steep drop. That was when a sinking realization entered my mind...It had collapsed. My heart dropped when I noted that it must have been about a forty foot drop down to the bottom.

I cautiously peered over the edge, my eyes trying to find the voice; a voice that belonged to a little kid. That was when I saw something I never expected to see. Down below, a young boy with familiar blonde hair pulled into a small ponytail sat cradling the head of what appeared to be a young girl with brown hair.

It was Cloud Strife.

The main protagonist of the game.

Of course I would run into him at this moment in time.

What I was seeing was the aftermath of when the bridge collapsed, sending younger Cloud tumbling to the ground with Tifa, his childhood friend. Sure enough, that was who it was the boy was holding. Mentally, I began cursing. I needed to get away from here; I didn't want to mess with the plot in any way yet. Vincent Valentine and Lucrecia Crescent were as far as I was willing to go at this point. Ever so slowly I began backing away.

That is, before I was spotted.

I froze in place and found myself under the gaze of the boy. "Hey! Down here, please help us!" The boy shouted. "My friend, she's unconscious! I don't know what to do…" Shying away from his sight, my mind began racing; in no time soon, it would be dark out on the mountain. Knowing what kind of creatures were out there with them, I started to second guess my hasty decision to leave him be.

What if by me being in this area somehow changed something?

Clenching a fist, I uttered another silent curse under my breath before quickly descending down the steep slope and halting just a few feet away from Cloud and Tifa. Upon closer look, it seemed that Cloud had been pretty scraped up from the fall, but Tifa on the other hand…

"You fell from the bridge, didn't you?" I said announcing my presence.

My heart was thumping out of my chest.

The boy jumped slightly before his blue eyes blinked up in my direction. He didn't say a word and instead tried looking at my face under the hood I wore. Taking it as a good sign, I approached him, sweeping a critical eye over Tifa's limp body. A wide gash was above her eye; no doubt that she suffered a concussion from the fall and would most likely be out for a while.

How long? I wasn't sure. My own worrying got the best of me as I began rifling through my pockets, trying to search for the light green cure materia that Vincent had got me. It was just my luck that I happened to leave it behind. "Ah crap, of all the times to not have it…" I mumbled before snapping back to attention.

Cloud was still there.

Watching in silence.

"Um, look, I won't be able to help you much, but I can at least take care of the wound on Ti—your friend's head." I said internally cringing. I had almost said Tifa's name in front of him, and neither of the two knew who I was. Thankfully, the boy didn't seem to notice. Instead he was preoccupied with his friend's condition. I kneeled down next to the girl and steadied my hand over the wound on her forehead. Slowly, I channeled the soothing energy out of my palm in attempt to help the poor girl; Cure.

"Magic?" I heard Cloud whisper in awe.

After a few seconds, I felt my head begin to throb. As soon as I saw the gash close up, I stood. Ignoring the pulsing pain and the dizziness, I spoke again. "Alright, I've helped you all I can. You should hurry up and get your friend back to town; she still needs some medical attention. I'll follow you down to make sure you get back safely, but that's as far as I'll go. After that, you've never seen me, understand?"

I did not want Cloud strife to remember me in any way. I was just a random stranger that came across; a nobody; a ghost.

I groaned. A small stream of blood trickled down into my eye. I wiped it away with my hand, pulling it away. I felt awful now, but at least I could be sure nothing would go horribly wrong for Tifa.

"You're not hurt too, are you?" Cloud asked in a whisper.

"They're never going to hear the end of this," I mumbled. Vincent especially had warned me against using my own white magic…Then again, this only served to further Lucrecia's own point. What she said…What I was…

No.

I brought my eyes up and looked at Cloud. His mouth hung open as he watched me, jumping at my next words.

"I'm fine; now hurry before it gets dark"

* * *

…

I turned away and walked back up the mountain trail just as Cloud reached the edge of the town of Nibelheim. Not wanting to be seen, I left quietly without a word. The sun was nearly gone on the horizon before I made it halfway back up the path towards the mansion. That was when I fell to my knees with my hood flopping back against my shoulders.

I was dizzy.

The world was spinning.

And my head hurt so badly.

"You should return."

I winced as I looked up to face the one and only Vincent Valentine. I couldn't help but wonder if he was actually concerned for me; the fact that he was out here was proof enough and made me smile a bit. Nodding my head, I slowly hauled myself to my feet. After only taking one step forward, I nearly fell again.

That was how I found myself getting a piggyback ride from the silent gunman back up to the mansion.

"You know, my friends would laugh if I tried telling them I got a piggyback ride from Vincent Valentine." I mumbled lamely, trying to break the silence.

"…"

"Hey, Vincent?" I asked. "I'm still me, right?"

I clutched the fabric of his red cape a little tighter as my headache got worse.

Then… I blacked out.

* * *

…

"…_Almost acting as an antibody." The scientist finished._

"_What are you saying?" I asked uncertainly. _

"_You're exactly like he is."_

_I looked at her skeptically._

"_That's a good one Doc, tell me another one," I deadpanned._

"_She isn't lying." Vincent spoke up quietly. "It could explain why Chaos was drawn to you."_

_It could also explain a lot of things._

_Why I could use magic…_

_Why most of the monsters seemed to ignore me…_

_Hell, it even fit with the fact that I had one task to do: Destroy Jenova._

_But…_

"_Come on," I snapped angrily, "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? There is no flippin' way that that's possible!"_

* * *

…

I woke up, finding myself in one of the old beds back at the manor. The only light illuminating the room was from a small candle. Looking to my side, I saw Lucrecia sitting by my bedside. In the flickering light, I could faintly see her face; it looked like she had been crying.

"I'm sorry." She said as soon as she saw I was conscious.

"Don't need to apologize to me." I said back. I carefully raised a hand to my forehead. The first thing that I felt was bandages; I guess that they were only able to patch me up so much.

"About what I said earlier…"

"It's okay." I cut her off. "I accept it." Turning to face her once more, I continued. "I came to you guys looking for answers, so I shouldn't argue about it. And…I've thought about it. I still have my own thoughts, my own will—I'm still me, right?"

Weak, insignificant me. There weren't any invisible hands forcing me to do anything; I had my own free will. And if I really wanted to, I didn't have to do anything; someone else could destroy Jenova, but the only reason I was doing it was because I wanted to get home.

And maybe also because I wanted to help Genesis and Angeal…

It was the reason why I decided to help Cloud too.

It was not because I was forced to.

I chose to.

"The planet can try to use me as a weapon, but it's damn well lucky that I want to do this of my own free will." I said with a huff.

After all, I wasn't the hero.

* * *

Author's note: Two big reveals within two chapters? Why not. I figured it would help make up for the fact that this chapter is a little short. That and I had this reveal coming for a while now; all a part of the plot. A weapon? It sounds pretty far fetched, but the planet did give Sib a task to do and even granted her the use of magic; that's probably the only reason why she accepted the idea in the first place. Heck, it was something that Lucrecia came up with herself, so who know just how real it is...

And I know, it's been a while. Classes thrown together with a sport and an instrument can be tedious...Top it off with homework and it's even better. But in the process I was able to go back and edit some of the first few chapters.

Feel free to leave a review and let me know your thoughts!

Until next time,

~BlueCampanula


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Learning the Ropes**

* * *

**...**

"Well, I guess I look like the average Turk now." I remarked as I studied my appearance in the mirror. I wore my usual hairband and my hair itself still retained its messy short length; the only difference now was that instead of wearing a cadet's uniform or the old rags I trained in, I wore the Turk's standard black suit. This was what the past few years had been building up to and now, I finally made it.

"Minus the handiwork on that tie. Here, let me help you with that." Cissnei said pulling at the tie around my neck. As she began fixing the tie, my eyes flitted back to the mirror in front of me.

"I think that having no tie would be better." I mused. It felt very restrictive, being wrapped so closely around my neck. The tie was merely decorative, so why was there a point in having one?

"Wouldn't want to look like Reno though, now would we?" Cissnei quipped. "Besides you need to make a good first impression to the others."

"Oh yeah, speaking of which, when will I get to meet them—you know, the other Turks?" I asked curiously. I didn't have the faintest idea what the Turks were like before the events of Final Fantasy 7 except for the fact that there were a lot more of them. I even faintly recalled that there may have been a game about them too.

"It'll take a while, but you'll meet everyone eventually."

I looked at her in question.

"They're out on missions, silly; did you expect them to be sitting around the office?" She chided finishing with my tie. "Okay, ready to go! Next thing on the list is to get you outfitted with your choice of weapon. Now—"

"Hey! Super suit looks good on ya." A cheerful voice interrupted. Cissnei and I turned around at the same time finding our attention focused on a particular redhead. He was casually leaned up against the doorway to the room with an amused grin on his face. And neither of us had heard him open the door.

"Reno…" Cissnei warned.

"What? I thought I'd just join the party, yo!" Reno said with a toothy grin holding his hands up.

"You know," I began, unamused by his answer, "You're lucky that I'm already dressed. Otherwise, we'd have a problem."

"Hey now, Cissnei's in here too." Reno said back.

"She's a girl!" I hissed.

"Eh, that's beside the point. I've come here to collect you two; we're headin' to Wutai."

"Wutai? Already?" I paused for a moment. "Okay then. When are we leaving?"

"That's the spirit! See, you're already adjustin' to the Turk's way of things." Reno said slapping a hand around my shoulder.

Cissnei shook her head in amusement. "We'll just finish up things from here and prepare to leave. About thirty minutes till briefing." She looked to Reno for confirmation; he shook his head in agreement.

"So we're all going then?" I asked.

"Of course. We'll both be there to make sure things go smoothly." Cissnei reassured.

"Oh, and you'll get ta meet my buddy Rude, yo!" Reno said enthusiastically.

"Now, you should bring along volumes three and four of the protocol books. We'll cover those on the way over. You'll be fine getting to the archives on your own, won't you?" Cissnei asked, ignoring Reno.

"Geeze, you're actually making her read those?" Reno gagged.

"And it sounds like it'll be a good refresher for you as well. That's it then, we'll rendezvous at Tseng's office in thirty and we'll be off." She responded sweetly as she began walking out of the locker room.

"Hey Reno?" I asked with my eyes still looking at the door.

"Hm?"

"What floor are the archives located on again?"

"Floor 45, right above the military school, yo." He looked at me with a cheeky grin. "Since you're goin' down there take this."

Reno reached inside of his jacket and pulled out a small file folder. Taking it, I recognized it as a mission folder. "Been meanin' to file that properly, but haven't found the time. And thanks a million!" He said excusing himself. Before I could respond, he zipped out of the room and out of sight.

"I didn't say yes…" I muttered with my eyes fixed on the empty doorway. So this was what the position of rookie was for the Turks; a lot of cramming and having stuff unceremoniously dumped into one's possession.

And not to mention, the rest of the Turk's job was basically do and don't ask. At least I had gotten used to it…Somewhat. Tucking the paper under my arm, I left the small dressing room. My next destination for the day would be the archives. Since I was heading down already, I decided that I might as well do something else productive with my time; I did have at least thirty minutes.

* * *

...

I scanned the crowd like a hawk, searching for a familiar face.

"Hey! Kunsel!" I shouted finally recognizing the back of the boy's head across the mess hall; he was sitting at the usual table. Not waiting for his response, I darted through the crowd of cadets and slowly inched my way over to the boy, keeping the folder closely held in my hands. As I walked by, I heard some of the cadets whispering; they didn't seem to recognize me and it was probably because of the new uniform I wore, not to mention I had already been gone for almost a week.

It turned out that I didn't have to go far through the crowd to reach my target; Kunsel ended up meeting me halfway.

"Is that you El—uh, I mean…Sibyl?" He said confusedly as his green eyes locked on me.

"Uh, yeah…" I responded awkwardly, "You can call me Sib though. Much easier to say."

"Okay then…Sib." He said slowly. The blank gaze on Kunsel's face broke off into a smile before he began laughing. "Wow. I guess you really haven't changed, huh? But man, as soon as you left the diner, me and Zack had no clue what was going on—heck, he was half convinced that you had been kidnapped by that other guy!" He said stifling back his laughter.

Instantly, the tension in the air seemed to melt away. I found myself smiling in relief too.

"So everything you told us…" He began.

"It wasn't necessarily a lie, you know." I replied sheepishly.

"And you _are_ friends with certain higher ups from your hometown?" Kunsel asked with a spark in his eye; the boy didn't miss a beat and it seemed like he had a lot of questions too.

"You mean Genesis and Angeal? Yeah, I used to hang out with them a lot before they left for the SOLDIER program…Well, maybe it was more like causing trouble for them, but, you know." I said casually waving my hand.

"Holy Cow! And now you're a Turk too? Since when did that happen?" He asked again.

"Well, since Reno—the redhead—showed up at the diner. But before that, I actually wanted to become a Turk ever since Gen and Angeal ditched Banora. Oh and, no offense to all of you guys, but being a SOLDIER sucks."

"That's cool, I can respect that; not everybody can do it." He said smugly. I sent him an unamused look as he shook his head and smiled again. "So…will we be able to see you around?"

"Of course! We're friends, aren't we? I mean, I'm going to be gone for a little bit right now, but I'll be back. Heck, maybe we'll even work together when you get into SOLDIER. Besides, I also promised that I'd throw a little party and cook for you guys." I said with a laugh.

"Right." He responded finally glancing back up at me. "And that can't come soon enough."

"Oh yeah, can you pass the message along to Abbott too? And—wait a minute. Where's Zack?" I craned my head to look over at the table where Kunsel had been sitting; the blue-eyed boy wonder was missing, with not a trace of his spikey black hair in sight. I spread my gaze across the mess hall as I continued to search for him.

"You know, come to think of it, he went to put his tray away a little while ago. He should've been back by now…That's odd." Kunsel answered mumbling the last part. "Hey, I'm going to go look for him. I'll pass along the information and…"

"I'll find you guys some other time then. After all, I do have my sources." I answered with a smirk as I fiddled with the collar of my suit.

"Heh, yeah. See you later Sibyl!" Kunsel said with a wave as he turned and walked away, disappearing into the thick crowd of cadets.

"Phew," I exhaled, "That went well." I said watching as the cadets began streaming out of the cafeteria. In a matter of seconds the once crowded space was empty. I quickly checked the brand new PHS that was tucked away in my pocket. I still had thirteen minutes before I had to get to the office; plenty of time to get the books and drop of the file.

Turning from the cafeteria, I walked down the all too familiar hallways back towards the elevator. Conveniently, the elevator took less than a minute to open its doors. Slipping inside, I quickly pushed the button and waited. As soon as the door popped open, I headed down another long hallway, whistling along as I walked. Upon reaching a heavy set of steel doors, I swiftly pulled out my card key and waved it at the small black scanner and typed my passcode.

The doors released a click. I inhaled the air deeply as I pulled the door open; it smelled richly of old books and paper.

The archives at Shinra were much like an average library. There were computers stationed at monotone wood desks with the same green banker lamps lining every desk. The walls were crammed full of thousands of books, all with different topics ranging from the company's production rates to top secret data that was filed in a vault near the back. Any sort of information on the Shinra Company could be found on that single floor, minus Hojo's lab experiments of course. There were even countless file drawers that contained numerous mission reports filed by the Turks themselves.

It was one of the first places Cissnei decided I should get familiar with after I joined up. Because of all the information holed up in that one floor, I had the feeling that the archives would become a place I would frequently visit. Even if it lacked the kind of books I liked to read, it would no doubt be a great asset to me with planning out my next steps; I could read and gather information with little to no risk.

After I finished dropping off the files, I walked over to the opposite side of the room. Stopping at one of the numerous bookshelves, I kneeled down and began scanning the books on the lowest shelf. They were the numerous volumes of the protocol and guidelines for the Turks, at least eight in total. I quickly found the two I was looking for and tugged them out of the shelf. Holding them in my lap, I sighed and stared blankly at the books in my hand. As soon as I left that room, I would be heading for Wutai.

Well, things were certainly getting complicated.

On top of my new responsibilities as a Turk, it would undoubtedly take longer to locate Jenova with the war in Wutai. Part of me was really frustrated with that, but it couldn't be helped. In fact, I shoved that part to the back of my mind, especially at Vincent's insistence. The upside, though, was I at least had my friends back; I wasn't alone.

Shaking my head, I stood up with the books cradled in my arms and turned around and quickly found my way back out into the bland hallway back towards the elevator. But as the elevator doors were closing behind me, I found myself jumping in surprise as a hand stopped them. And I nearly dropped the books in my hand with a start when I saw a massive, black guard hound enter the elevator, followed closely by a person.

I opened my mouth to speak but immediately closed it upon realizing something. The person who had just entered the elevator was a young teenager with blue eyes and platinum blond hair wearing a plain white suite—Rufus Shinra, albeit a younger version. But that wasn't what surprised me; it was the fact that I had seen him before and not too long ago.

He was the stranger that had been talking to Captain Lysander, the one I ran across in the hallway.

I mentally cursed for not recognizing him sooner.

The hound growled a little when he saw me, causing Rufus to smirk. "Dark Nation." He called. The creature responded to its master's voice, moving to sit directly at the teen's feet. "Well, well," He said with a haughty voice, "We meet again. I see that you've moved up."

"Vice President Shinra." I said finding my voice. "Long time no see."

With that said, the elevator doors had already closed, blocking off any chance of escaping.

Damn.

This was becoming a regular occurrence now; becoming stuck on an elevator with someone I'd rather not be near.

"It's such a shame about Lysander." Rufus said smugly. "It's not every day that a file comes across my desk about a SOLDIER being taken into custody. They're usually quite loyal."

"Yeah, it seems he didn't take your warning seriously." I responded absentmindedly. I bit my tongue when I realized what I had just said. Was I trying to pick a fight with this guy? There was a scary glint in Rufus' blue eyes. He fully turned to look at me, causing Dark Nation to stand up again. If this situation wasn't awkward before, it was now.

"Really now, that seems to be the case." He agreed stoically.

"Not that it's any of my business." I corrected.

"And I trust you'll keep that to yourself. Things tend to get _messy_ for people who stick their nose where it shouldn't be."

"Um…right. Like I said, not any of my business." As soon as I said that, the doors popped open. Holding in a sigh of relief I quickly stepped off the elevator. I turned around to the teenager and said one final remark. "And quite frankly, I don't care either." With that, I turned away and walked away as calmly as I could. It was only when I heard the doors fully close that I found myself break out of the calm façade I held up. As usual, I had the greatest first impression on people.

Rufus Shinra…Threatened me?

It was subtle, but it was there.

"Note to self, don't take the elevator anymore." I remarked to myself.

* * *

...

The briefing lasted for roughly five minutes.

When I entered the door, Cissnei and Reno were already there. Behind them, Tseng sat at his desk as usual, but standing beside him was the man in the pinstriped suit from the first time I entered the office. And after running into Rufus in the elevator, I couldn't help but silently compare the two. He was introduced as Lazard Deusericus, the director of SOLDIER. I vaguely recalled the man from what little I knew of the game Crisis Core. There was something about him being the illegitimate son of president Shinra, but aside from that I couldn't recall much about the man.

Shortly after the meeting, the three of us made our way to the tower where the helicopters were held; I was discovering something new every day. The helicopters were stored in a hanger on one of the higher levels of the building. The opening that led to outside of the building kind of reminded me of the Death Star. And the sunlight was creeping inside the space too, right behind where a massive, black chopper sat. The red logo of Shinra was plainly emblazoned on its side.

"Wow."

"I know, yo. Ain't she beautiful?" Reno sighed happily coming up from behind me. "Climbs at a rate of over 2,000 a minute and flies smoothly at a speed just around 240 miles per hour. Not the fastest one we have, but does the job quite nicely and pack's a hell of a punch, ya know?" And he wasn't kidding about the punch. From where I stood the helicopter packed two huge guns on its underbelly, and I was pretty sure that wasn't all.

"Scarlet was the one who invented those." Cissnei said to me.

"She made the helicopters?!" I said stunned.

Cissnei chuckled at my reaction before responding. "No, she actually made the weapons. I'm told the chopper itself is a result of a combination effort."

"What'ya say? Are you ready to give her a spin?" Reno asked jokingly.

"Hold on a second, I don't think that's a good idea!" I said in panic. It wasn't that I didn't think I could do it, but I did not want to be in control of something flying through the air. Actually, I didn't want to be in the air at all. To put it bluntly, I was deathly afraid of heights, something that I had been trying to put at the back of my mind until now. At least there would be a wall in between me and the long drop down.

"I could only imagine what a horrible mistake that would be." A voice spoke up from behind.

"Genesis!" I said in protest as I turned around to face him.

He stood behind me along with three other who, by the way they were dressed, were Shinra infantrymen. "Are we ready to go?" He asked calmly.

"As soon as I get her started up!" Reno replied turning to walk towards the chopper with Cissnei following behind.

With both Reno and Cissnei occupying the cockpit, I was left with a seat in the back. Genesis sat beside me as the rest of the soldiers entered. The chopper's propeller began to start up just as the last infantry man shut the door behind him. The metal door was dense enough to slightly muffle the loud roar of the engine. "So, how long will it take to get to Wutai?" I asked curiously.

"It'll be awhile." Genesis said. Nodding my head, I glanced out the window at my left. We were already in the air, and Midgar was already far beneath us. It almost made me sick when I realized how far up we were. I swallowed and felt my ears pop. All the while, I couldn't keep my eyes off of the city below us. "Midgar looks a lot different from above." He commented seeing my gaze.

"Yeah…It looks like a mass of coils and machinery." I mumbled in response.

"You'll be happy to know that Banora looks much better." Peeling my eyes away from the window, I focused my attention on Genesis.

"Oh yeah, did you visit it recently?"

"About a year ago."

"Hm," I hummed thoughtfully. "I guess the next time I'm free I should visit. It's been a long time. Wonder what everyone's been up to?"

"Not anything different, really."

"How about Ale and Agatha? I still feel kinda bad for skipping out on them without saying anything."

A small frown appeared on Genesis' face, but disappeared pretty quickly. "They're fine. You know, you're being rather chatty today." He noted.

"Heh, Sorry. I was just busier than I thought I'd be. It's been about five years since I've been around you guys and we still. Haven't gotten that much time to catch up."

"What are you apologizing for?" He said shaking his head. "And how have things been going with the new job?"

"It's interesting so far," I started.

I began recounting what I had been through for the past few days. Cissnei was hammering new lessons into my head at every hour, thoroughly going through the protocol books and leading me around the Shinra building. I found out how much bigger and more complex the building was than in the games, and not only that, but the company too.

Anything that you wanted to find, the Shinra building most likely had it. The apartments, the military school, a hospital wing, even a small grocery store. Yeah, that one was interesting. The floors I managed to avoid though were the science labs; a stroke of luck if you ask me. Hojo apparently didn't like the idea of people touring around, no matter who it was.

And the technology in that building was…freaky. Sure, they had normal lights and microwaves and televisions and whatnot, but they also had some strange devices, half of which were weapons. I didn't even see the virtual training room that the SOLDIERs used, but Reno even mentioned something as crazy as the fact that it could adjust the gravity.

Genesis added a smart comment here and there, but for the most part he let me talk.

"I'll admit, I'm glad to see technology again, but over the past few years, I realize that I don't really need it." I paused for a moment and yawned. "Well, I think I'm done talking for a while."

Genesis rolled his eyes at my reaction, smirking.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've had no one to bother for a while."

I snorted at his statement. "You've got that right. It's been too quiet." I glanced out the window again. More time had passed than I realized; the sky was already immersed in a soft orange glow. We were also above water now.

"Hey Sibyl, come over here." Cissnei called. "We should at least go over some of the chapters before it gets completely dark out."

I groaned a little.

"You can't be tired of reading, now can you?" Genesis commented.

"When it's that kind of book, yes."

After saying that, I got up from the small leather seat and stepped into the tiny cockpit, squeezing in between the two chairs and kneeling on the ground. Cissnei handed me the book, and immediately began going through the text, all the while Reno began to zone out beside me.

* * *

...

"Hey." I heard Cissnei's voice. "We'll be arriving in about an hour. Shall we go over the assignment once more?"

I cracked open my eyes and forced a response out of my mouth.

"Yeah. Review never hurts."

I sat up straight and straightened out my stiff neck. After reading the book, I had returned to my seat and proceeded to fall asleep leaning against the glass window. My cheek was also a bit numb from resting against the cold material. I was surprised that the morning light hadn't woken me up. Already around me the other soldiers were stirring while Genesis remained still next to me with his eyes glued to his familiar white book.

The mission we were tasked with was assisting ground troops in taking over a small, but heavily armed tower behind the front and destroying it. From what had been said at the briefing, the forces on the ground were having a lot of difficulty in overtaking it with gunfire from the enemy. We were also charged with bringing in a member of SOLDIER to help with the situation.

As it turned out, Wutai was a little different from what I originally thought. Instead of just having ninjas or samurai-like warriors that wielded swords, they also had strange hybrid versions of halberds with guns. That was something I was a little scared of, but as Reno put it "Drop in, leave the bomb, and get the hell out."

He made it seem at least a little simpler.

"Here, you'll need this radio to keep in contact. We've already got Rude on the ground along with Cliff."

"Wait, who?" I asked as I secured the tiny device to my ear.

"Rude and Cliff. They're our people. You'll get to meet them soon enough." She replied cheerfully. "Oh, and one moment." Cissnei ducked back in the cockpit and returned with a wide box in her arms. "Which one of these would you like to use? I was going to ask you earlier but I didn't get to it." I looked in the box my eyes widening at the shiny weapons in the box. A smile appeared on my face when my eyes stopped on a short-barreled shotgun that appeared to be slightly longer than my forearm.

Reaching out I quickly grabbed it and weighed it in my hands. It was slightly heavier than the shotgun I had practiced with, but other than that I took a liking to it automatically. It was of sturdy quality with a single materia slot in its handle. Sliding my hand into my pocket, I fished out the fire materia and clicked it into the slot. It was perfect.

"You sure you know how to use that thing?" Genesis asked eyeing the weapon doubtfully.

"Heck yes. This thing is much better than a pistol." I snipped. "Besides, I do have—"

"Your magic. Of course."

I pouted at him.

"Okay then, now that that's settled, here's the holster for it although I don't think you'll need it. There will be more than enough enemies around." I paused for a moment, thinking over her words. Turning my attention back to her, a frown formed on my face.

"Um, Cissnei?"

"Yes?"

"Does this mean that I'll…have to kill people?"

Stupid one track mind. Of all the things I neglected to think about for the future was the possibility of having to kill an actual human being. Over the years, sure, I was forced into situations where I had to fight off and even kill the creatures that I came across, but nowhere in my training had I actually taken a human life. Hojo and all those other horrible people I was going to leave to someone else, and Jenova was another story—it wasn't human.

I never paid attention to the most important fact of all that—as a Turk—I would undoubtedly be tasked with killing people.

"Hey, you'll be okay. It's something that comes along with the job and we'll get to that when we get to it, alright?" Cissnei put a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye. "Everything will be fine."

"Yeah." I said plopping back down in my seat with the shotgun clutched in my hand. I heard Genesis sigh next to me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking right now, but it was probably about something along the lines of disbelief or maybe even scorn. I half expected him to tease me about it or make some smart comment.

"Look," he finally said in a low voice. "Instead of thinking it in negative terms, think of it as a matter of survival."

I looked up at Genesis a little stunned at his words. Choosing not to speak I simply nodded my head before turning to look out the window again at the cloudy blue sky. Everyone else it seemed to lapse into silence as well.

This was what it was like before a mission.

After what felt like only a few minutes, Reno's voice jolted me back to attention.

"Alrighty, time to get your butts in gear! Five minutes, yo!" He shouted back to us. Cissnei was already out of her seat and walked by me, standing in front of the helicopter's door. The other infantrymen followed suit, all on their feet and ready to go. Watching them all, I felt my heart jumping in my chest.

"So where are we landing?" I quietly asked Cissnei.

"We're not." She replied simply.

"Time's up!" Reno shouted. Without missing a beat, Cissnei turned away from me, sliding open the door. Instantly I was met by a strong gust of wind and the dull clanking of the engine. Down below us I could see what looked like a Pagoda styled building.

Down below.

Shit.

"Move!" Cissnei commanded over the roar of the chopper. I stood rooted in place as the three infantry men rushed by me, all of them jumping out. And without a parachute.

"I-I don't t-think…" I stuttered out.

"Hey hurry it up back there! Takin' fire yo!"

"Go on. We'll meet you down there." Genesis said stepping in front of me. I gulped as I watched Cissnei simply nod her head, leaping off the platform. I hesitantly looked at Genesis; he had a blank look on his was he planning? I opened my mouth to say something when all of a sudden he wrapped his hands around my arm and smirked at me. I could feel my heart sinking into the pit of my stomach and the blood draining from my face.

"Gen…?"

And before I knew it Genesis stepped off the chopper, dragging me down along with him.

* * *

...

Author's Note: Quite a bit happened in this chapter. I feel like it turned out pretty interesting as far as the amount of things that happened. I literally just finished typing this chapter up and, after a quick glance over, I think the mistakes should be at a minimal. I'll probably end up returning to this chapter later to proof read it just in case.

I introduced at least two new FF7 characters in this chapter. And also with the mention of the new Turk, Cliff won't be an OC; I'm basing him off of one of the playable Turk characters in the Before Crisis game. Eventually I will add in more of the other Turks as the chapters progress, but I'm thinking that I won't necessarily give them all their own introductions (And thinking up names is going to be hard since they don't seem to have any).

I also wanted to say thanks to ya'll who take the time to read, favorite, follow, and review this story! Out of curiosity, would anyone be interested in a chapter of extras? I was thinking of writing one in the future that would serve as an interlude and show interactions between the characters. While I do have ideas for some, I'd be willing to take on a few suggestions. Thanks again!

Until next time,

~BlueCampanula


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Defying Logic**

* * *

...

There were a lot of things about the planet Gaia that I had yet to understand…And there were also some things that I would never understand.

One was how gravity worked. The first thing I noticed about it was that it seemed to be lighter here than on earth. On Gaia, a normal person could jump and be able to reach something about twenty feet in the air if they really tried (and if they were tall). If they happened to be a SOLDIER, well, that was a different story.

Another thing was how much stronger people were, and I didn't mean strength wise. The body could take much more abuse from outside forces; it was as if the human body was tougher, more durable. Falling wouldn't usually result in death, and bullets shot from a distance wouldn't kill either. Now, I still wasn't sure how exactly that worked out.

In the end, I settled on explaining the answers with the lifestream. The lifestream was something still relatively unknown, even to most of the scientists in this world. It was something that was, in a word, arcane. And when I thought of it, the lifestream even seemed to defy the logic I had. That was the only way I could explain how I wasn't already dead and riddled with bullets while falling through a hailstorm of gunfire in a fall that would've caused a lot of injuries.

And I meant a lot.

Sure, Wutai may not have had the most update and technologically advanced weapons like Shinra, but that didn't mean that they couldn't cause damage with them.

But regardless of my conclusion about the lifestream's affect, I was still very much terrified of heights.

Extremely terrified.

By the time my mind fully realized what had happened, Genesis and I ended up crashing through the red shingled roof of the tower. Miraculously I still held onto the shotgun with my right hand. Looking around, the infantrymen had already secured the floor; the bodies of several Wutai soldiers lay strewn about on the floor, some with the unusual green aura around their bodies. The lifestream was already fast at work to reclaim them.

Genesis released my arm and I felt my legs shake beneath me. "That wasn't so bad now was it?" Genesis said smoothly. He looked at me with the most amused expression I'd ever seen; completely unfazed by everything that was going on around him. In response I balled up my fist, punching him as hard in the arm as I could; given how shaky I was, that attempt only amounted to a weak hit.

"Genesis…" I said finding my voice. "At least tell me before you're going to pull shit like that!" He had deflected most of the oncoming barrage with his crimson sword, but I could feel the slight sting from where some of the bullets managed to graze my skin.

"Okay, we're all here." Cissnei said before I could react any further. "Commander Rhapsodos, I will leave you to your task. Use the radio on 553 to report when you are finished and then clear the site."

Genesis nodded his head in response and turning to me. His eyes locked onto mine for a split second before he spoke. "Don't get into too much trouble while the hero is away, Brat." He taunted.

"Yeah yeah. Get a move on already." I replied fighting the urge to roll my eyes. He turned away walking over to the other infantry men and began speaking to them, issuing orders. It was a soft laugh from Cissnei that drew my attention away from the group.

"You guys are so sweet." She remarked.

"Huh?"

"Ah, never mind that" She said waving her comment aside. "So, are you ready Sibyl? We can still take a few minutes if you need."

"Nah, I'm good. I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I said firmly. Though I didn't say it, I was nervous. Mentally I was preparing myself; I simply needed to focus on one thing at a time. My heart was already pounding through my chest, but on the outside I tried to remain collected.

Remaining level headed was a necessity.

"Now that we're in range, the transmitters should start to pick up the others. All you need to do to communicate is to press the little button on the side, got that? During the mission we'll be in contact with one another to make sure that everything goes smoothly. And don't worry, stick close to me and you'll do just fine." Cissnei said reassuringly. "Now go ahead and say hi, like this."

Reaching up, I plugged one finger to the tiny button on the device. "Okay, I think I got it…"

Right on cue, I could hear static buzzing softly in my ear.

"Uh, hi?" I said uncertainly glancing back at Cissnei. She nodded her head.

"_Hey, who the heck is that?_" A voice crackled back through the earpiece.

"New girl." Cissnei responded.

"_We got a new rookie? And a chick at that? Alright!_"

"_The plan._" Another voice said; I quickly recognized it as Rude's.

"Okay, so we've already infiltrated the base. We are currently on the top floor and will be working our way down. That should distract them long enough for you two to enter below and plant the bombs. As soon as we're all clear we hit the detonation." Cissnei said holding her hand up to her ear.

"_And Wutai will be down by one_." The other voice added.

Reaching into my jacket, I pulled out the pair of sunglasses.

Cissnei turned her attention back to me.

"Let's go."

* * *

…

While the lone tower looked rather small from the outside, on the inside it was massive. It was solidly built with concrete-like walls and stone hewn floors. That explained one of the reasons why we couldn't just destroy the tower from the outside. It would take more than a few outside explosions to tear it down beyond use.

That and Genesis' group was tasked with finding the base's leader and making sure he didn't escape. The fewer military leaders Wutai was left with, the better. Doing that would ensure a quicker end to a war that already appeared drawn out.

Little oil lamps lining the walls lit the way as Cissnei and I dashed down the narrow stairwell. And soon enough, we weren't alone. Thanks to the noise we were making and no doubt the ruckus that Genesis and his team made going down the opposite stairwell, the small space was quickly filling up with Wutai soldiers.

Just the way things were supposed to go.

Our objective was to cause confusion among the enemy, and to do that we needed to make our way down through the tower towards the middle levels. That was where we could draw more of them quicker which would allow the other Turks to enter from below.

"Stay close. Wutai is well known for using…different methods." Cissnei cautioned. As I watched her from behind, she was cool and collected. In her hands she held one of the biggest throwing stars I'd ever seen. Where she usually stored it and how she carried it, I had no idea. It made me wonder if there were such things as summoning materia for weapons too.

Shaking my head, I brought my attention back to the situation at hand. I steadily raised the silver-barreled gun that rested in my right hand. "Noted." I responded hastily. I glanced between the shotgun nestled in my hand and the oncoming enemies. At least five of them were in sight, all frantically searching for the source of their confusion. The armor they wore looked something similar to a samurai's; metal plating guarded their shoulders and upper chest, with a helmet that covered most the neck.

All that there was to this—all that I had to do—was point and shoot. It was no different from hunting and shooting a monster down. I had done that with Vincent numerous times.

Out of the corner of my eye, Cissnei threw the shuriken. I swallowed a huge lump in my throat as it pierced through one of the soldier's unprotected stomach. Blinking, I tried to focus again; they knew where exactly we were now.

"Sibyl!" I heard Cissnei shout. Flinching, I felt myself squeeze the trigger. The gun in my hand emitted a furious pop as my body jolted from the recoil. Only a split second later, the bullet it spat out found its mark in the unprotected arm of one of the men closing in on us.

Taking another breath, I found myself squeezing the trigger more and more, each time releasing fiery bullets. The materia itself was humming with each round used. I watched them lodge deep into their targets and before I knew it, a few of our assailants were dropping to the ground as more poured into the stairwell.

Not so different, right? So that was that. This world had finally driven me into killing another human being. I knew it was only a matter of time, what with the 'career' I'd chosen, but…I felt strangely hollow.

After a few minutes, the stairwell was completely flooded with enemies. Grabbing onto my shoulder, Cissnei pulled me with her through the nearest door she could find; one that was located only a few steps away. Shutting the wooden door behind her, she locked it and we retreated further back along the far wall. "And that should do it. Any minute now and they'll come through those doors. There is plenty of cover in here and with this," Cissnei said producing a small can from her pockets, "we'll be able to easily overtake them and move on."

It was a smoke bomb.

"_Alright, moving in now!_" A voice rang through the earpiece.

There was a sharp crack at the door, with the sound of wood splitting filling the air. Cissnei pulled the pin out of the top of the can and threw it across the room. It landed on the ground and spewed out a thick, grey smoke.

And then that's when things started to go south.

As soon as the Wutai soldiers came plowing through the door, the room became completely overcome by the smoke. I couldn't see anything and neither could they, especially with most of the smoke being drawn towards the door. I could hear their voices as they snipped at each other before they began to open fire on the space in front of them.

Instinctively, I dove to the left, finding cover behind what looked like a shrine of some sort. But as soon as I did that, I realized that Cissnei wasn't beside me anymore and I was on my own; she had gone the opposite direction. "_Flank them from your left and head down the stairs. We need to get a move on._" Cissnei's voice whispered in my ear.

Thank the Goddess for radios.

"Sounds easy enough." I spoke back. As quietly and as quickly as possible, I edged my way along the stone wall, staying low. I could tell much to my dismay that the air was gradually clearing. Seeing movement on my right, I turned in time to see the backs of one of the Wutai soldiers not even two steps away from me. Before he could turn to look, I shot at him without a second thought. The man only released a grunt of pain as his body crashed into the ground. Like a mad man, I then dashed forward, aiming for where I knew the exit was.

In mid-step, however, the ground beneath my foot sank.

Shit.

Reacting fast, I moved my other foot forward to catch myself only to find…absolutely nothing. And it was in that instant that I felt a familiar sensation—that feeling when you miss a step down the stairs and stumble forward, only this time there wasn't a floor to land on. I flung out my hands in attempt to latch onto the wall, but I was a moment too late. My fingernails only grated against the stone as I felt my body plummet downward, the sunglasses wrenching away from my face.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiit!"

Way to go Sibyl.

In a panic, I reached out my hands once more, grasping at the walls to straighten myself out. The wind was whipping by my face, making my eyes water as I continued my descent. I gritted my teeth as I felt my fingers burning on contact with the stone, quickly becoming sticky.

Before knew it, my feet slammed into stone and the wind stopped. Flinching from the impact, I immediately realized how lucky I was that there weren't any other traps underneath where I landed. Standing up straight, I glanced at my fingers, but found myself quickly looking away. Let's just say that they were a little worse for wear...and they were bleeding too. Biting my lip, I carefully reached into my pocket, grabbing onto my cure materia.

Patching up my fingers, I felt a sigh of relief escape my lips as a cooling sensation overtook the pain. I finally glanced up at the hole in the ceiling I came through as I replaced the materia into my pocket.

It was a trapdoor.

Really?

The sound of gunfire was the only thing to break me from my thoughts. It echoed along the walls and sounded not too far from my own position. Observing my own surroundings, I realized I was standing in an alcove that shielded me from seeing the rest of the floor I was on. But it was the gunfire that at least reassured me that I wasn't too far off from friendly faces.

I simply needed to head towards them and I'd be fine.

"_First bomb placed. Rude's getting the other one._" The other Turk's voice came through. "_Not half as bad as I was expecting._"

I started at first before remembering the earpiece was still in place. I found myself nodding my head at the voice's words. All that was needed was to join back up with somebody—anybody at this point—and get out. Slowly poking my head around the corner, I cautiously looked at my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was that the room was filled with storage crates, some stacked on top of each other and some pushed against the walls, all in all making the floor appear really messy and disorganized.

The second thing I noticed was that there was a group of Wutai soldiers bunkered down behind some of them, facing off against…other soldiers?

I blinked, doing a double take.

This was new.

I dove down in front of me behind one of the crates, just in time to avoid getting shot at by the mystery enemy. The Wutai soldiers on the other hand didn't seem to notice me; instead they were preoccupied with fighting off their attackers.

"_Where are you?!_" Cissnei's voice then rang out over the earpiece.

"Trapdoor. I think I'm a few floors down but someone—" I yelped in pain as a stinging pain seemed to wrap across the side of my face. Without hesitating, I ripped the earpiece off…or what was left of it. It sat in my hands, torn to shreds by my guess from what was a bullet, and I was lucky that it didn't hit me straight on. What…

Raising my eyes, I froze up looking at the figure not even a few feet away from me. Tall and imposing, the unknown enemy stood before me, his eyes covered by what looked like red-tinted ski goggles and in his hands a massive assault rifle with a sword strapped to his side. He smirked at me as if to laugh at my surprise.

And then my face completely blanked when I saw the uniform the figure wore; charcoal grey, it was unlike the gear worn by the Wutai soldiers. I had absolutely no clue whose uniform it was or where it came from. At that realization, I felt…fear.

I was dealing with an unknown opponent.

Throwing aside the remnants of the earpiece, I quickly retaliated before he could do anything else. Casting my left hand out in front of me, I quickly snapped my fingers. Feeling the pressure release, a fireball leaped from my hand towards my enemy. Not forgetting my other weapon, I raised the shotgun as well and began firing, attempting to overwhelm him with the combination.

I quickly decided that there was no room to mess around in that situation, especially with a different variable involved in the equation. There was no telling what _they_ were capable of and I wasn't about to be cocky about it. My guess was that from the beginning the Wutai soldiers were already fighting another enemy from the inside of their base before Shinra rolled around. My mind was wondering though: who exactly were these other people? Why were they here? And why were they fighting?

I rolled into a new position, out of the line of sight from the other soldier. From what I saw, my attack was enough to put him down. Recovering, I raised my head back above the crate I was behind, resting my weapon against the wood and taking aim at the unknowns. At the moment, I didn't care that Wutai was supposed to be my enemy and I began focusing my attack on the other force. And they didn't seem to mind either, that or the Wutaians didn't realize I was even there.

And why?

Because they were also panicked.

"Why aren't they dying?!" One cried out in frustration. I paused for a moment, finally noticing just how overwhelmed they were. Already from my position, I could see the bodies hitting the floor. Three of the Wutai soldiers had already hit the ground, while they had only managed to take out what looked like one of the others.

Taking a risk, I popped my head up over the crates, quickly scanning the room. I managed to get a glance for less than five seconds before I had to duck back under the protection of the solid crate.

Seven to four was the ratio.

And it didn't look good.

Before I could think of anything else, I gasped as a strong grip wrapped around my ankle, pulling me down. My eyes widened in shock as I was too late to realize that the soldier from before was now towering over me with a hole just below his collarbone oozing out blood; not a single hint of his skin was charred from my magic.

How was he still moving?

Pulling on the trigger of my gun, the man quickly dropped me as another bullet made contact directly with his chest, allowing me to scoot away. The man snarled at my action, reminding me of a rabid animal. He charged at me again with a sinister smile on his face, completely ignoring the fact that he had just been shot. From what I could see, the only other effect of my attack had was that he no longer held the rifle in his hands. The only thing that remained was the sword sheathed at his side, but something that scared me more was the fact that he wasn't making any moves to use it.

He was just coming after me.

Leaping back on my feet, I sent another barrage of fireballs towards him only to see the man effortlessly dodge them. He reached out a hand as if to grab ahold of my neck and I side stepped, deflecting it with my left arm. The only thing I could really do now was engage in hand to hand fighting. Moving fast, I tried to kick the man's feet from out beneath him, but he was much quicker. In the blink of an eye I found solid, muscular arms wrapped around my neck from behind, ensnaring me in a chokehold.

How was it even possible to move that fast?

This fight was turning out to be really, _really_ bad.

The shotgun flew from my hands, careening across the room as I struggled against my opponent.

I tucked my chin in under the crook of the soldier's elbow, trying to regain my breath while my hands tugged against his arms. Snapping forward with all my might, I hauled the man overtop of me, sending him crashing into the ground. His grip, however, was iron. Somehow he managed to hold on, dragging me to the floor with him. I huffed as I felt the air get knocked out of my lungs from the impact, my eyes drifting towards the ceiling for a moment.

He was strong—inhumanly strong.

And I was tired.

My body was tired.

Grabbing at the man's arms once more, I freed my mouth.

I was going to end this right then and there.

"Thundaga." I hissed.

Tiny sparks seemed to leap from my fingers, wrapping their way around my hands and I could feel the static energy surging through me. Without hesitating, I directed that energy straight for my attacker in at the closest point possible: His arms. In an instant, I could feel the man's arms convulse underneath my grasp, his heartbeat becoming erratic. Beneath me, he tried to wrench away his arms and push me away. The man inhaled sharply in a silent scream as I kept my hands firmly wrapped around his arms; I wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

Without any mercy, I kept my focus and continued channeling the spell through my fingertips, feeling the sparks licking at his skin. And in the next second, I felt the tension in his muscles release. The erratic heartbeat wasn't there anymore, and the arms wrapped around my neck went limp. I could breathe again.

Pushing his arms off of me, I scrambled off of the man and backed myself against the crate, glancing back.

He simply lay there on the floor, motionless—dead.

I leaned against the crate, trying to calm myself down. Compared to when I had only pulled the trigger of the shotgun, this was…

It was messed up.

It was way too personal.

"—Not the time to be thinking of this. Not the time. Not worth your life." I chanted to myself.

I had to act fast to get out alive, whatever the case was. My mind began racing as I tried to figure a way out. I wanted to keep my distance; getting caught in another hand to hand fight was not the best option for me. And fire was the strongest magic I could depend on for long range attack, but the problem was that it didn't burn them as much by the time the spell wore off.

I needed something to make it last longer—something to make it stick. Glancing up, a smile crossed my face. Not too far and within my reach lay one of the many crates dotted around the room. It had been tipped over and all that was inside of it was the small bottles of oil I had seen earlier being used along the walls.

It was perfect.

Crawling over to it, I grabbed as many of the bottles as I could and carefully made my way back to my other position. Uncorking the fragile glass, I carelessly hurled them over my shoulder, spreading the oil across the room in whichever direction. Where there was one crate there had to be more, so why not take a chance?

Hearing the confusion in their voices, I finally decided to make my move—to put an end to this infuriating fight. I definitely felt it now; the power that coursed through my arms, screaming at me to use it.

Limit break time.

Launching out of my cover, I eyed my opponents before releasing my final attack.

"Inferno!"

Instantly the surrounding air became unbearably dry as a spout of fire descended from the ceiling, seemingly out of nowhere. And that dryness quickly succumbed to heat as the air became filled with a roaring sound that emitted from the fire itself. But as soon as it touched one of the crates, the air seemed to erupt with an earsplitting noise; a sonic boom. My body was thrown back by the force, sent crashing into the boxes behind me.

As it turned out, there _was _more oil stored away somewhere.

Recovering from the sudden burst of noise, I lay sprawled on the ground for a moment, my vision clouded by a heavy black smoke. To my relief, I no longer heard anything moving anymore. No more bullets, no more metal clashing against metal; it was only the slight cracking of a dying flame that filled the air. But it was blissful silence none the less.

Complete and blissful silence.

I sighed as I felt the anger drain away from my mind and I slowly sat up from the floor. If this didn't prove I could survive on my own, I didn't know what did. Taking in a deep breath however, I began to feel my stomach churn. The air smelled rotten, with the acrid tang of oil and something else I didn't completely recognize: Charred human flesh. I gagged at the smell, covering my nose up with my hand in vein to fight it away. It was ten times worse now, knowing what it was that it smelled like.

Looking over the room at last, I finally saw the damage I had done. Glowing embers were slowly gnawing away at whatever remained standing opposite of where I was. The front of the room was almost painted in black soot and I couldn't tell what some of the ashes were.

I was alone too.

Dusting off my suit as best I could, I stood up straight and found my feet leading me towards my discarded weapon. Picking it up, I slid it into the holster that was tucked underneath my arm. Suddenly, I didn't feel like doing anything else anymore. A wave of fatigue had already settled through my body, and I knew I was ready to call it a day.

I felt tired…so very tired.

"Man," A snarky voice rand out, "This is quite the way to introduce yourself."

I whipped around and raised my hands and prepared to fight once more, but I was caught off guard. The voice itself originated from the mouth of a teenager with crazy blond hair and blue eyes. He stood by the doorway leading out and was dressed in a familiar black suit with a red rope resting around his shoulders… Not a rope, nunchucks.

He was another Turk.

"Hey now, I know I throw people of guard with my looks, but there's no need to feel threatened." He said teasingly.

I let my arms fall to my side. "Sorry if I'm not in a good mood right now." I muttered. "I take it you're Cliff?"

"Hey now, just call me Nunchaku. Some of us have nicknames that we like to go by, but I'll let it slide for now." He said proudly.

Nicknames?

Cissnei wasn't a nickname. Neither was Rude or Reno…or at least from what I knew.

Shaking my head, I continued. "Okay then, I'm Sibyl, but I guess you can call me Sib. I take it we should get out of here then?"

They had to be finished by now.

"Yup. Now let's leave before we turn into barbeque like the rest of the people in this room did." I blanched at his words, reminded what just happened.

"Yeah, you're right."

Walking past him, I started out into the stairwell once more, this time without another enemy in sight. It was quiet.

* * *

…

"Did you run across the other soldiers?"

"No. Didn't see them, but they left already."

"Not them, the ones in the grey uniforms. The ones with the red goggles." I pressed. Cliff stopped in front of me and turned around with a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

I stopped.

"You're kidding, right? I just ran across more than seven of them butchering the Wutaians and you didn't see them?"

He shrugged his shoulders in response.

"The smoke must have clouded your vision, babe." He said casually before continuing down the steps.

"Excuse me?!" I spat.

Stopping, he turned around and grinned at me. "I was kidding. From one Turk to another, stop being a tightwad and learn to loosen up a bit; have fun with it." The grin faded from his face, replaced by a more serious expression. "Now what's this about a new enemy?"

"Well, I've told you what they look like, and they were attacking the both me and the Wutaians. They also used weapons that were a lot different from them too—kind of like Shinra weapons. And to top it all off they were…" I paused in thought. "Come to think of it…they remind me of Shinra's SOLDIERs." There was a gap of silence as Cliff took in my words. "I mean, I don't exactly have any evidence of that; I sort of destroyed it, but I know what I went through." I added.

"When we regroup with the others, we'll talk more about this."

"Right." I agreed. No point in hashing details out while we're standing inside a building that was ready to blow. Just as I started moving again, I hesitated. "Do you hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" I closed my eyes and tried to focus. There was…a voice in the distance. It was hard to hear, but it was there. Snapping my eyes open, I turned around and bolted in the opposite direction to leave the stairwell. "Hey, wait up!" Cliff shouted in surprise behind me. "You're going the wrong way, you know?"

"You don't hear it?" I said without stopping. "Someone else is here and they're in trouble."

"Look I know I said to loosen up a bit, but we do have a bomb planted beneath our feet that'll go off pretty soon." Ignoring him, I found myself pressing my ear up against an old wooden door. "If you really insist, step aside." He said placing a hand on my shoulder. Barely moving out of the way, I watched as the door in front of me went sailing off of its hinges with a splintering crack. The blond had just kicked the door in like it was nothing.

"Not very sturdy doors, are they?" He remarked with a chuckle. "And look. See? Nothing's—" He cut off mid-sentence and stared into the doorway. Out of curiosity, I pushed him over so I could see what he was gawking at. "Well, this is awkward," He said.

And there we were standing in the doorway of a small tower in Wutai, locking eyes with a man who was nearly the size of a grizzly bear. He wore the same, strange uniform I had seen earlier and on his back, he was carrying what looked like a black bag. He was just standing there, staring right back at us.

Turning his head down to look at me, Cliff pointed.

"So is this one of the guys you killed earlier?" He said bluntly. Clenching my fists, I nodded my head without taking my eyes off of the other man in front of us. His stance shifted slightly and I felt the nerves tugging in my stomach.

"Move!" I shouted as I plowed the teen out of the way.

And in the nick of time too.

No sooner had I spoken, loud thundering footsteps were were rushing towards us, the soldier himself barreling at us at an impressive speed. He would have rammed straight through us if I hadn't acted. I stared after the man in disbelief unsure of what to do next, but Cliff on the other hand did something else. "Damn! Challenge accepted!" He responded, jumping back to his feet. "Hey, where are you going!"

The blond began running after the retreating figure, leaving me behind him.

"What's with this guy?" I complained before taking off after them. So far, I couldn't make heads or tails of the teen's personality. The only thing I really found myself comparing him to was Reno, and yet something was saying otherwise and it wasn't just the difference in speech.

Rounding the corner, I found that the two had completely bypassed the stairwell. Instead, they had continued down the long hall. The hall eventually gave way to an open room, an observation area of sorts. The walls themselves had changed and were open to the outside, with only half of a wall to keep the room's occupants from accidentally stepping off to their deaths; no windows but completely open. And Cliff and the soldier were facing down right in the middle of it.

Both of them had their weapons drawn, and, let's just say that I didn't understand how the teen could be putting up a fight against a sword with the strange weapon he had. Something else that I noticed, however, was that the soldier's back was to me. Seeing an opening, I charged forward and jumped onto the man's back. "Hey!" I heard Cliff shout at me.

Shutting my eyes, I held on as tightly as I could and brought my hands as close as I could to the man's head.

"Thunder!"

The man's knees buckled beneath me right before he slammed into the ground.

Opening my eyes, I let go and stepped off of his back.

"A man doesn't really like to be shown up by a lady. Why'd you have to take the fun away?" The blond asked with his voice dripping sarcasm. "Still…you weren't kidding about being like a SOLDIER." As the he walked over to the man, I turned away and drifted towards the black bag that lay on the floor. It had flown off his arm when I jumped him and I was really curious as to what was in it.

Bending over, I reached for the bag and began to unzip it; it felt really warm. But before I could look inside of it, Cliff called out to me. "Hey, looks like you've managed to paralyze him!" Cliff said victoriously. Turning my attention from the bag, I walked back over to him.

"I don't suppose you have any rope, do you?" I asked as I stopped beside him. Sure enough, the soldier's limbs were twitching slightly. Mentally, I was grateful that I hadn't killed him.

"Nope, but we do have ties that are pretty nifty." He suggested, fiddling around with the black tie around his neck.

"You know, I like the way you think." I complimented. And a few seconds later, the bear-sized man was tied up at our feet, complete with a small gag in his mouth. Those restraints were sufficient enough for now, but when we left, we'd need a lot stronger bonds, especially for when the paralysis would wear off. "Maybe we can find out who this guy is working for." I said voicing my thoughts.

"Yeah, well…Some people might have other ideas." Cliff responded. I looked at him questioningly. "Look, we—" He cut himself off again. I could hear the faint voices coming through the small radio attached to his ear. "Crap, time to go!" He said hurriedly. He bent over and began lifting the man's arms over his shoulder. "Little help here princess?"

"Sorry!" I said as I helped him up.

"Okay then, out the window we go."

"WHAT?"

Looking back over his shoulder he continued speaking to me. "Unless you want to be blown sky high, I suggest we get moving. It's only five stories and as soon as we hit the ground we gotta run."

Not this again.

"I hate my life." I whimpered up at the ceiling. I glanced back over in time to see the blond straddling the window ledge, looking down at the ground below.

"You said these guys were very sturdy. Do you think he'll last the fall?" Cliff questioned.

"Oh, I don't know." I snipped. He shrugged his shoulders before shoving the man off the edge and I felt my mouth fall open.

"Works for me." Cliff answered casually.

I ran over to the window just in time to see him jump off after the man. Holding on to the ledge, I looked down and saw that he already reached the ground and was hauling the huge man back up over his shoulder before moving away. Without thinking, I swung my legs over the edge of the window, slowly pulling myself up till I was sitting directly on it. In the distance, I could see other people standing. They were grouped further away and looked almost like ants from where I was.

"Now or never." I said unconvincingly to myself. It wasn't…that bad of a drop. As soon as I worked up enough nerve to, I began to let go of the ledge. That was when something slammed into my back, knocking me forward and off the edge.

"What—!" I blinked rapidly as I felt the air yet again rushing past my face and my stomach rolling. The ground below me was approaching fast and I barely had time to catch myself, landing on my hands and knees.

A groan escaped my lips.

"_Up. Up!_" A childish voice said.

Regaining my senses, I looked up to see Cliff standing further away from me, waving his arms. The soldier was nowhere in sight. "Hurry up!" I heard his voice call.

Right.

The building was about to explode.

Hauling myself up to my feet, I wordlessly set into a dead sprint away from the tower as fast as my wobbly legs could carry me. And I ran straight for safety, right towards the Turk. I felt the ground rumble behind me as the bombs went off. "Hey, made it just in time!" the blond said cheerfully as I slowed to a stop beside him. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone run that fast."

I bent over in exhaustion before looking up at him.

"Is this mission over with?" I asked in exasperation. So this was what a normal mission for the Turks entailed: High speed, high risk, and small room for error. Had I been a second late in that jump, I might've gone down with the building.

"Yeah, um…"

"What now?" I said standing back up.

"Sibyl!" Cissnei's voice rang out.

I turned to see her running towards me.

"I'm glad you made it out in one piece! This doesn't usually happen on a mission; normally we know quite well what we're up against." Cissnei said apologetically.

"Hey, way ta go! I'm surprised you survived that!" Reno snickered, walking up behind Cissnei. Following close behind him was none other than Rude.

"The unidentified soldier has been taken care of for now. We'll just head back to camp for the remainder of the day and then move from there." Cissnei said grabbing my attention.

"Um…" Cliff muttered again.

"Oh, hey Siby! Meet my partner Rude. Rude, this is Siby!" Reno shouted enthusiastically.

Rude took a step closer to me and nodded his head in greeting, retaining his silence. I could only look back up at him and smile back. "Uh, nice to meet you." I said tentatively. Even though I couldn't see his eye behind the sunglasses he wore, for some odd reason I could feel his gaze boring into the space behind me.

"_Creepy._" A little voice chimed behind me.

I blinked as my mind slowly processed what I heard.

"Yo, what the…" Reno added.

"_What, Kupo?_" The voice responded.

I turned my head sharply to look over my shoulder, but instead of seeing the collapsed tower behind me, my sight was met with tiny black eyes and, more notably, the color red. I stayed in that position for a few seconds, blankly staring. "Can you please get off of my shoulder?" I asked, regaining my senses.

The small weight clinging onto my back let go, finally coming—no, flying in front of me. My eyes widened as I came face to face with none other than a moogle. He was small, almost about the size of a teddy bear. The tiny wings on his back were reminiscent of a bat's and, one last convincing feature, he had the trademark red nose.

"Is that a moogle?" Cissnei asked in awe. The other Turks were silent. It was Rude who finally stepped forward, and not uttering a single word he reached out and grabbed the tiny creature, bringing it up to his eye level. It shrieked and squirmed in his hands.

"_Siby!Make him let go!_" Its childish voice squeaked.

"Hey Rude, he doesn't like that!" I said quickly.

Rude immediately let go and, after muttering a few choice words, the moogle floated back down next to me.

"I never thought I'd see one in my life." Cissnei commented. "These creatures are incredibly rare. Do you know how many people would love to get their hands on one?"

The moogle settled back on my shoulder.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Moogles are one of the few known creatures that can use magic." Rude finally spoke.

"Hey, how come you'll say a full sentence to her and not me?! I've known you for longer!" Cliff sputtered indignantly.

Moogles could use their own magic?

Could that have been the reason why the strange soldiers were there?

"I'd say you're all off to a great start, now if ya don't mind I'd like ta get rest, yo." Reno said slapping a hand over the blond's shoulder.

"Yeah, I am pretty tired…" I said in agreement.

That and after the day I'd had, I felt completely out of it, and not just physically.

* * *

…

The so called 'camp' ended up being a small village.

Nestled in between two small mountains, it was well guarded making it the perfect place to hole up with troops. There were at least twenty small buildings dotting along a single road, all in the pagoda style. Compared to the tower we had just destroyed, the place was peaceful. In between each house there were tents set up which housed over half of the infantrymen that were there. The helicopters were further back in the town, closer to the small building that the Turks had chosen to occupy.

The sun was already sitting low on the sky and before I knew it, I was sitting on one of the small cushions dotting the tatami mat floors inside. The four of us had separated for a much needed break time to do what we wanted; free time Reno said. Rather than change out of my suit, I ended up sitting down in silence trying to comprehend what had happened. It was only then that the moogle left its perch on my shoulder and casually sat on the small table in front of me.

"So…" I said. "What's your name?"

"_Mog_." It replied curtly.

"Okay then, Mog. Nice to meet you. My name is Sibyl." I said formally introducing myself.

"_Siby_."

"No, it's Sibyl." I corrected.

"_Siby, Kupo._" It said again.

Shaking my head, I decided to continue.

"Where did you come from?"

"Mog_ was in the bag and you let Mog out and now Mog is here. Do you know where here is, Kupo?_" I felt a smile twitch at my lip. Part of me was annoyed but a bigger part of me was amused. Talking to a moogle was never something I imagined myself doing on Gaia. The way it spoke and the way it moved reminded me of a small child.

A combination of silly, adorable, and pouty all at once.

I laughed. This was the strangest thing I had done yet. Mog simply stared back at me with a small glint in his eye. He got up from the table and flew into my lap, sitting down and looking up at me.

"_Oh! I know, She sent you! She's the one who sent you, Kupo!"_

"What?" I asked plainly. "Who is She?"

"_And she sent Mog to you!_" The moogle spoke bouncing in excitement.

"Hold on Mog. Can you calm down please?" I said tiredly.

"Not very original at naming, are you?" I looked up from the moogle in my lap to see Genesis standing in the doorway. The leather jacket he normally wore was gone, revealing the plain black uniform of a 1st class. He looked a lot more relaxed than he did earlier, with most of the sternness washed away from his voice.

"That's the name he gave me… Then again, I do have a chocobo named Bo." I said distracting myself. "Hey, you mind sitting down? My neck is hurting from having to look up." And he obliged. Walking over he sat down on the ground beside me, his eyes drawn to the creature sitting on my lap.

"_He's funny._" Mog noted in a plain tone staring straight back at him. I couldn't help it anymore and I let out a small chuckle and that chuckle turned into soft laughter.

"What's so funny, Brat?" Genesis asked, his eyes flicking up to mine. His actions only caused me to laugh even harder.

"_Brat?_" Mog said eyeing me curiously.

Immediately my laughter stopped.

"Hey now, don't copy him!" I said accusingly.

"_Brat? Siby Brat?_"

"Why don't you go take a walk or something?" I moaned.

It looked at me as if to consider my words before tilting its head.

_Pop_!

I sighed in relief as Mog finally left.

"Has he done that before?" Genesis asked reading my expression.

"When we were walking here earlier some of the infantry men tried to grab him. After calling them a few names he just disappeared on us. He comes back though." I said in dismay.

"He speaks?"

"Yeah, didn't you just hear him? Thanks to Reno he calls me Siby. I guess I might as well add Brat to the list. Thanks a lot."

Genesis' expression became serious.

"You might want to keep that information quiet."

"Why?" I asked. "…You can't hear him, can you?"

"Alas, I cannot."

"Great" I said combing my hand back through my hair. "This day just keeps making sense."

"Actually, that's why I'm here."

"What did you want to hear?" I replied boredly. "I killed people, helped destroy a tower, and discovered a moogle. On top of that nothing still makes sense; how the weapons here don't kill people and how the gravity seemingly does the opposite of what it's supposed to. That pretty much sums up my day."

"Well, if you want to talk about it, you know where to find me." Genesis announced as he got up from his seat.

"You know," I said raising my head from my hands, "This war also goes against what I've learned. It's been nearly five years, and it's still not ending anytime soon? You would think that a powerful force like Shinra would be able to win in less than a few months."

"What wars are you talking about?"

"I don't know, the ones that happened in the last century maybe?" I said before I could think about it.

Genesis laughed. "The only 'wars' that occurred were small skirmishes. In fact there hasn't been a major war in a long time. With how quickly you surpassed your classmates, I'd hope that you'd at least know that, Brat."

"Just forget what I said, okay?" I sighed in frustration.

"Wash up and get some rest." He finally said. "Things will probably make sense then." With that, Genesis turned to walk out of the house. Shaking my head, I got up and followed him out to the door.

"You're right." I called behind him. "I'm sorry."

Looking at me, he smirked before replying.

"Don't be."

* * *

...

Author's note: So much happens in this chapter, mainly a lot of what Sibyl knows being challenged in a new way. This will lead the way for more character development on her part for the next chapter. Not much else to add at the moment without giving away what is to come, perhaps Sephiroth? Who knows. Let me know what you guys think!

Till next time,

~BlueCampanula


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Waking Nightmare**

* * *

...

"Get any sleep?" Cissnei asked knocking on the door.

I turned to look at her, my eyes heavy.

"You know he won't be moving anywhere." She then noted.

"Still…" I said tiredly.

I glanced back at the small cell in front of me. In it, the soldier sat against the wall, motionless as ever with his hands and legs bound by thick cast iron restraints. Though his mouth was ungagged, he had refused to say anything. Not a single syllable had been uttered from his mouth since he'd been in our custody and it had been barely over two days.

And it was after that mission that sleep didn't come to me easily.

A storm was brewing in my mind, tainted by the events that happened the past few days. I would fall asleep only to wake up less than an hour later. Despite waiting hours to fall back asleep again, the process would repeat again. In my mind at the root of the problem was my own worry. There were too many questions swirling around in my mind and none of it would stop. As soon as I had realized that, I decided to remain by the prisoner in hopes of getting some answers out of him.

I thought that maybe it would give me piece of mind, but I was wrong. If anything, the soldier's silence made things worse.

I was still restless and my motions were stiff and heavy. The only one who seemed to be getting sleep was the little moogle in my lap; he was in such a deep sleep that I could speak normally and he wouldn't stir.

"I need to know where this guy came from."

"That's not all, is it?" Cissnei remarked. She walked further into the room. Stopping by my side, she reached down and pulled me to my feet. I moved my eyes back to Cissnei, blinking slowly in the process. "Come on, let's at least get you some coffee and then we can discuss what's next."

Mog was fully awake now and he flew out of the room after us.

"_Wah! Don't leave Mog with him, Kupo!_"

I squinted my eyes at the early morning sun that peaked around the low mountainside. The surrounding village would have been calm and quiet had it not been for its current occupants. It was early yet everyone was already moving about, gathering together supplies and preparing to move out for the next assignment.

Cissnei led me to the small patio outside the Turk's assigned building where Reno and Rude where already sitting. On the low table in front of them the paperwork we had filled out the day before sat in stacks; mission details regarding the tower. Sitting down on the cushion I sighed in relief. Even though I hadn't really used it much, Wutai's furniture was pretty nice…that or at least it's much better than sitting on a concrete floor.

Mog stayed on my shoulder the entire time.

"Little guy's still there, yo?" Reno said in amusement. "We oughta' give him a suit too."

"He seems to have really taken a liking to you." Cissnei added.

As if on cue, the moogle flew over to Cissnei and sat in her lap.

"Hmph. Not just me though." I said with a faint smile.

I was still perplexed about the small creature. Ever since finding Mog he stuck with me no matter where I went. Occasionally he'd disappear only to return within an hour and hang off of my shoulder like he had never left. And then I found myself quickly getting use to his presence...Kind of. The best way I could describe Mog was that he was like a dog, comforting to be around. But that description fell a bit short when it came to the talking part.

Petting Mog, Cissnei continued speaking.

"We've received new assignments. As of today we'll be parting ways."

"So I take it I'll be going with you guys then?" I asked turning my attention to Reno and Rude.

"Who else?" Reno quipped. "Speakin' of which, if ya need us, we'll be gettin' ready."

Reno jumped up from his seat and zipped around the corner out of sight with Rude following at a more relaxed pace; out of the duo, Reno oddly enough looked like the morning person. After they left I took a moment to look at the garden around the patio. That was when I noticed that one of the newer faces I'd met wasn't there; Cliff wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Hey, where'd Cliff go?"

"Oh, him?" Cissnei said with a hum. "I'd guess he's around somewhere probably trying to talk to the female infantrymen."

"You mean flirting?" I said skeptically. "Was I right in thinking he's the same as Reno?"

Cissnei laughed softly at my reaction before shaking her head. "No, not at all. The two couldn't be more different. Reno may be cocky and sarcastic, but the only thing he really 'flirts' with, as you say, is his helicopter. I've even heard Veld praise him for his work. Cliff on the other hand…"

"Is he a thrill seeker?"

"Just someone looking for a new outlook in life." She finished.

"I suppose that means we're made up of a colorful group of people, huh?"

That was the way things seemed to be turning out. The Turks were comprised of people with different personalities, and definitely different backgrounds; even the age range from who I had met so far proved to be diverse. The Funny thing was that in the beginning I expected most of them to be cut from the same cloth, but I couldn't have been further from the truth.

"Well everyone has their own abilities to contribute."

That brought up another point: Cissnei too, she was really nice. Compared to Reno, Rude, and even Tseng, she was the most approachable; friendly but, sometimes stern like an older sister figure. Cissnei was one of the only Turks I recognized aside from Veld that existed outside of the original game. In fact, I vaguely recalled reading about them at some point, but my details on them were a scant amount. And then there were the Turks that fell under Cliff's category: completely unknown with no knowledge about them aside from the fact that they existed.

"You might want to hide this little guy." Cissnei said looking down at Mog. "Where you're going, I'd hate to see anything happen to him."

"What do you mean? We're just taking the prisoner back to Midgar, right?" I asked returning to attention.

"Well, you weren't wrong, but we've received new orders this morning. Something else has come up. We're to take him directly to Nibelheim."

"Nibelheim?" I questioned perking up a little.

"It's a small town in the country."

"Middle of nowhere is more like it." I mumbled under my breath.

"Oh? Have you been there before?" Cissnei asked curiously.

Oh, I'd been there before.

"I may have passed by it when I was training."

"Ah, I envy you being able to travel like that. It must have been nice to see new places on your own." She said wistfully. "But never mind that, you guys have been instructed to bring the prisoner to Nibelheim for Professor Hojo's convenience."

I froze.

"Professor Hojo?" I nearly spat. "But he was in Midgar not even a week ago."

"Actually he was just there to pick up some files; he's been working out of Nibelheim for about a month now."

A month.

That was how long it had been since leaving Nibelheim for Midgar.

So that meant it wasn't the usual gaggle of scientists that had shown up that day; that was Hojo moving to retake the lab. It would explain why they had such a big convoy with them. I shivered slightly at the thought of what that greasy little scientist was doing out there this time. The thought never crossed my mind that the Turks would be sending me with him to Nibelheim.

"Hang on," I said connecting the dots, "the plan is to interrogate the prisoner. We're not moving that man—this threat—somewhere for him to become a lab rat, right?"

A look of pity came over her and Cissnei shook her head in response.

"There isn't anything else we can get out of him at this point. He's refusing to cooperate and Heidegger decided it best to send him to the Professor to find out about this new enemy. It's just—"

"Part of the job. I know." I cut in.

Heidegger was involved too, no doubt. I hadn't met the skunk yet, but I still knew that he was butting into business that wasn't his responsibility. The soldier was in the Turk's custody, not the military's and the fact that he ordered something like that was infuriating to me; he was taking away my only chance at figuring out about who he worked for. The only thing that we would have to go off of after Hojo would be his remains alone.

Putting on a fake smile, I attempted to hid my anger.

'No need to get worked up about it.' I chided myself mentally. There were things I could control and then things I couldn't. Having the soldier end up in Hojo's hands was one of those uncontrollable things. One day, though not anytime soon, somebody would deal with him.

My job was elsewhere.

"Mog will stay clear of Hojo in the meantime, right Mog?" I asked it cheerfully as I stood up from the small cushion.

"_Kupo_."

"Anyways, I suppose I should get ready to go as well. See you back in Midgar."

Turning my heel, I stalked off, leaving Cissnei behind me.

"_Ya okay, Kupo?_"

"Don't know. We'll find out."

I would be returning to Nibelheim sooner than I thought. While I wasn't exactly eager to go back especially with Hojo there, maybe I would be able to talk to Vincent. Going into the basement while the mad scientist was there certainly wouldn't be easy, but I knew a way around it at least. If there was any possibility that Vincent knew about this strange enemy, I was willing to risk it.

And then there was the simple matter that I just wanted to talk, but then again that all depended if he was even there at all.

I cursed silently; the more I thought about it, the less likely it seemed that Vincent Valentine was back in Nibelheim. Why? All because of a simple list: Names of various people I had little information about or couldn't remember much of, all of whom sometime or later would play a part in the future. And I gave that list to him. I asked him to find the whereabouts of Shelke Rui and her older sister, Azul the Cerulean, and even Dr. Hollander—one of Shinra's scientists that once worked beside Hojo. I figured that finding out where they were would give me some sort of leverage, but right now it was a damn inconvenience.

So much for being masterful at planning things.

Slowing my walk to a stop, I took a deep breath and inhaled the cool air, trying to ignore my own thoughts. Closing my eyes, I tried to calm myself. That was when my ears picked up on something, someone speaking. Opening my eyes back up, I smiled tiredly. I recognized the words being spoken, and more importantly the voice.

Genesis was reading Loveless.

Curiosity got the better of me and I focused myself on finding out where he was. I pretty much avoided talking to him, heck, anybody really over the past twenty four hours. Part of me wanted to at least tell him I was leaving. I didn't have to go far; around the corner from where I was, the 1st class was sitting on a bench underneath one of the many tall trees in the Wutaian village. He was concentrated on the book in front of him, pencil in hand as he read aloud, eloquently pronouncing each word.

Sitting down on the far side of the bench, he didn't react at all to my presence and continued reading. I leaned back and listened to the words, staring up at the twisting branches overhead. Listening to the poem, I felt my nerves calm; I wasn't one for poetry, but I couldn't help but be drawn in to it. It painted a distant picture with an open ending, one that could be interpreted in any way the reader chose.

It was free.

And it reminded me of Banora.

Without me realizing it the poem was soon over and Genesis closed the book.

"Come to talk?" he asked cutting through the silence.

"Well, I guess mainly to say goodbye. I'll be leaving soon; heading to Nibelheim actually."

"Seems that we'll both be parting ways then. I've been reassigned as well. Are you hoping to find your old teacher again?"

"Hmph, I wish it was that easy." I replied sourly. "There's little to no chance of me finding him there."

"_The wandering soul knows no rest_." Genesis said pausing for a moment. "You know pessimism is not your style, Brat."

"Not like I can help it right now. I've got a lot on my mind."

"And distractions can be lethal during a war. While your teacher may not be around, your friends are. If it's really bothering you—"

"Thanks Gen." I said. "I might take you up on that offer eventually, but not now."

A small beeping noise cut through the air before I could say anything else.

I looked around in confusion before remembering the PHS that sat in my pocket. Genesis looked on in amusement as I scrambled to pull it out of my pocket, nearly emptying it in the process. During the mission I had completely forgotten the cell phone was there; in fact, I was impressed that it survived the ordeal.

Shinra Technology. Who knew it could be that durable?

I quickly flipped it open; it was a message from Rude.

-_Retrieving the prisoner_.

I stared at the screen pondering what the few words meant: We were going to leave soon. Seeing those words, my expression dropped. For a split moment I managed to forget why it was I was there in Wutai, about what was going on.

The soldier needed to be brought to Hojo.

"It looks like I'll have to be going." I said reluctantly. I glanced around, looking for where Mog went. Eventually my eyes found the moogle sitting in the branches above. Standing up, I called out to him.

"Mog, time to go."

"See you back in Midgar." Genesis said. "And do us all a favor, stay—"

"Out of trouble, I know. No guarantees though."

Mog flew down out of the trees, grabbing onto my shoulder. As soon as he did that, I grinned before I turned away from the bench and started walking, leaving Genesis behind me.

The grin dropped of my face as quickly as it had come, my focus turning elsewhere.

Instead of heading for the helicopter, my feet were leading me the opposite direction. Turning back around the corner I came from I could see my destination; it was the shorter pagoda building that stood out among the rest—the containment building. Most of the infantry men that were crowding the streets earlier had thinned out, leaving open a straight shot to its doorstep.

Without hesitating I entered the building and headed straight for the basement. Aside from me, the only other people in the building were the three guards that were sitting idly at the table playing a game of cards. The basement itself was as dark and dank as it was when I left it, and the soldier was still sitting in the same spot as before.

And Rude wasn't there yet.

Approaching the bars, I looked down at the man with pity. He was already a walking corpse, unresponsive with a distant look in his eyes. Whatever Hojo had planned for him, he wasn't going to come out of it alive; the soldier's death would most likely be prolonged and agonizing.

"I might as well save you the trouble and kill you now…" I mumbled. We were completely alone. No one would be around to see me kill him and all it would take was a single bullet point blank or even a stiff jolt of electricity; he didn't look like he would fight back.

At that thought, my eyes widened.

What was I thinking?

I gripped the iron bars in front of me, squeezing the metal until my knuckles turned white and pressed my forehead against the cool metal.

"That's not you at all…" I said to myself.

Never would I have thought that a day would come when such a dark thought would enter my own mind. I already had blood on my hands for killing in a war, but I refused to resort to killing a defenseless person at my own will. It was hard enough as it was dealing with those other deaths; the ones that I caused.

"_What's wrong, Siby_?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see Mog tugging at the back of my sleeve; I must have been frowning deep in concentration to draw his attention. Turning away from the bars I took the moogle into my arms and looked down at his cheerful face. I chose not to say anything else, merely shaking my head and closing my eyes.

I wasn't about to cry over this.

It wasn't worth it, especially with how far I'd come.

The sound of a lock clicking caused me to reopen my eyes. Rude was there and unlocking the cell door. Motioning to me, I walked forward to help him with his unspoken request. Mog waited outside the cell door as Rude and I hoisted the man up. Holding him by the arms we slowly escorted him out of the basement and across the camp to where Reno was waiting with the helicopter. The propeller was already spinning, slowly gaining speed.

"All righty, strap him into the backseat and we'll be off, yo!" Reno chirped above the noise.

Rude took it upon himself to move the man the rest of the way, pulling him into the chopper and buckling him down to the seat.

"That's what lack of coffee'll do to ya." Reno commented as he sat down in the cockpit.

"Hey, mind if I join you guys up there?" I asked.

Rude looked to Reno.

"Why not? Might be a tight fit, but ya get to learn flying from the best, yo." Reno boasted. "Hey, I thought you liked hangin' out with him?"

"I wanted the company. Besides he's already a corpse." I replied dully.

"Aren't you just peachy today? I know what'll cheer ya up. How bout' a couple of stories for the ride?"

* * *

…

Nibelheim was the same as it ever was.

A brown and balding landscape dotted with a few sparse trees and grasses, a field here and there, all of it leading up towards Mt. Nibel. Just seeing the jagged mountainside was surreal. Thinking back on it, the fact that I managed to get lost in the forest on the opposite side of the mountain was laughable. It showed just how experienced at traveling I was; I was closer to finding my way to Rocket town than anything.

Mog had already disappeared by the time the chopper landed, leaving the three of us (four counting the prisoner) to walk through the entrance of Nibelheim itself. I felt torn about the situation: I was excited to actually be in the town for the first time, but on the other hand nervous about what was to come.

The first thing my eyes caught sight of was the water tower that inhabited the center of the small town. Surrounding it were numerous, small timber-framed houses. Aside from the metalwork emerging from the houses, the town was like a small medieval village: Small population in a rather creepy location.

My sightseeing didn't last for long though.

There were only a handful of people I could see that were outside their dwellings. None of them were any faces I could recognize. Among them, two figures dressed in white lab coats emerged to greet us and before I knew it we had walked right through the center of town and towards the old whole way there was engulfed in silence except for the distant calls of an unknown bird.

Outside of the old Shinra manor I hesitated staring up at its crumbling facade if only for a moment. The old mansion was exactly the way it was before; a place that was closed off from the rest of the world around it and trapped in time. Setting foot into the door, the lab assistants wasted no time in quickly whisking the soldier away, leaving the three of us behind in the main hall. They were probably in a hurry to secure the new test subject. Reno casually looked around, remarking about how creepy the place was while Rude and I nodded our heads in agreement.

We were only brought to attention when soft footfalls were heard echoing down the stairs. I looked up, careful to keep my expression neutral as none other than Professor Hojo made his way down towards us.

Clicking his tongue at us, the man began to speak in a rather condescending tone.

"I see you have delivered the specimen intact. Until your superior arrives, you three are to fall under my jurisdiction. One of you stays; I have no use for all of you, so the rest get out of my sight."

And as quickly as he had come, the man disappeared.

"Fine by me. Hey Rude, wanna take the first watch?" Reno said cutting the silence. "We'll change it up a bit later. Don't know about you guys, but I could use a drink. Wonder if they have any bars in town?" Without waiting for the other Turk's answer, Reno turned and began to walk out the front door. I turned back to the taller man, concerned about leaving him behind.

"You going to be okay here?"

Rude simply looked at me and nodded his head.

"You comin?" Reno called back.

"…yeah, I'm coming." I finally said. I was back in Nibelheim. It wasn't a big deal. At this point, it wasn't like my presence in the town would affect anything; if Shinra was already here, well, there wasn't much I could do about that. Something had to have happened before that led to them being there.

My only main concern at the moment was leaving someone behind with Hojo.

* * *

…

I figured out the reason why Reno drank…that or I had a pretty good Idea.

"The man's head popped right off, ya know? I think I was eleven or so."

The two of us made our way back into the town and eventually the inn. Reno chatted most of the way down, but it was when he had a few bottles in front of him that he loosened up a bit more. He was orphaned at a young age and left to survive in the slums on his own, and that was before Shinra found him. They quickly snatched him up after a certain incident, but what that incident was, I didn't know; Reno didn't feel like talking about it.

And now he had been talking nonstop about missions he went on, dropping plenty of sarcasm here and there. It allowed me to piece together who he was as a person, though knowing how well I read people it was probably far off.

Said Turk sighed and I focused my attention back on him.

"It's a shame they don't have a real bar." He mused. Nibeheim didn't have the bar Reno was looking for. Finding that out, he settled for drinks in the hotel room instead. The inside of the inn was exactly the same as it was in the game; small with three beds in a single room.

"It's a small town. I don't think that they get much visitors; I mean, have you noticed how small the inn is?" I said pointing it out.

The red head shrugged, leaning back further in his chair.

"What bout' you?" he asked changing the subject.

"Me?"

"Yeah. Family, friends. Your story, yo."

I looked at him blankly before shaking my head.

"Where to begin…Well, two parents and one brother though I haven't exactly seen them in a while—not since I first came to Banora."

"Hey, are they dead too?" Reno guessed plainly.

"What?! No, it's not like that they're just…somewhere far away." I mumbled the last part. "Sure, I might not be able to see them or talk to them, but I know I'll see them again, right? Anyways, I try not to think about it much, you know 'live in the present' type of deal."

"Inspirational words brought to you by Sibyl Lasko." Reno droned. "Go on, what happens next?"

"I became a Turk and found a moogle. The end."

"Whaaat? Oh come on, I told you about me, yo. 'supposed to do the same. You know, Turk bonding time?" I stared at Reno, an unamused frown on my face and he just stared back. A slight chuckle escaped his lips quickly turning into full blown laughter.

"Bonding time, sure." I drawled at the Turk. "But I really just remembered…I haven't seen Mog in a while, have you?" I had almost forgotten about the moogle. Only a few hours had passed, but I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Usually Mog would return quickly, though this time he was running late. The gears in my mind started to turn with that last thought: The moogle would be fine on his own with the magic he had, but his absence gave me an excuse to leave.

I would be free to go where I wanted, which meant...

I got up from the chair I sat in and straightened up my jacket. Grabbing my PHS off the table and cramming it into my pocket beside the materia I had, I began to walk towards the door. "I'm going to try and find him." I announced. "I'll be back in a little bit."

"I'll stay behind. Someone's gotta guard the base." He said jokingly. "Sure ya don't wanna take a nap first?"

Ignoring Reno, I slipped out the door and headed down the stairs. Setting foot onto the dirt road, my feet took me to outside the town. As soon as it was out of sight, I stopped; where I stood was about halfway between the mansion and the town.

Not thinking, I opened my mouth.

"Bo!" I called out. My voice echoed softly over the air and I waited. I sent my gaze between both directions, looking up the road and down the road waiting for the bird to show itself. The chocobo had remained with me throughout the years, but he stayed behind when I left. Bo had made a home with some of the other few chocbos that existed in the mountainous climate.

A faint smile crossed my face as the yellow bird popped into view.

"Wark?" It cried. Its beady little eyes locked onto me and before I knew it the bird was rushing at me, flailing his wings. Stumbling a few steps back, I held up my arms to brace myself.

"Hey hold on there!" I shouted at the last second. The bird nearly skidded to a stop, still crashing into me but with a lot less force. Instantly it started nuzzling my arm and I grinned at him before returning his affection. Stroking his feathers I spoke again. "Missed you too, but right now I've got to be somewhere."

Bo merely tilted his head at me before sitting low to the ground. Mounting him, the bird sprung to his feet ready to go. I nudged his side gently and he took off. His claws dug into the ground with a crunch and the breeze blew by my face. I quickly sank into rhythm with the bird's trot and grabbed ahold of his feathers, directing the bird up the narrow dirt path.

Where was I heading now?

Nibelheim's Mako reactor.

* * *

…

"You said that this was the place Jenova was, correct?"

"I said that she might be here. I think I was wrong though. This door was supposed to be locked; there's nothing here."

"Clearly it hasn't been placed here yet."

"…Well, it was worth the shot."

* * *

…

Something that I could never stop thinking about ever since the beginning was the Goddess' reason for leaving me where I was. Why did she send me to Banora? Why was time turned back on me? And then my last question was why hadn't she just drop me at Jenova's doorstep and finished it right then and there? It couldn't have been too hard to blow up a reactor in the first place so there must have been something missing. Or maybe she simply had a desire for me to save everyone that I could.

Either way I looked at it I was still pretty angry that day came to pass.

Five years ago Vincent and I made the exact same long trek up Mt. Nibel in order to get to the Mako reactor. The trip itself was freezing, not to mention many encounters with monsters of all kinds; dragons, screamers, and even the disgusting bug-like Kyuvilduns. And it was Vincent who at times had to force me to keep going despite how far up we were.

All of this was done with the hope that Jenova would be waiting for us, but in the end it had been in vain.

Skip forward to the present day and there I was again walking through the front door of the reactor. It stood out in contrast against the grey and jagged rock face of Mt Nibel, a cylindrical structure. And this time getting in was an easy matter; rather than sneaking by the guards at night I walked right in, leaving Bo to wait outside. With a simple nod to the guards posted on either side I was granted access, all because of the familiar suit I wore.

I shivered as soon as the cold wind stopped, my body slowly being wrapped in the heat radiating from within the reactor. Rubbing my hands for warmth, I cast a glance down the long path into the recesses of the building; it was as intimidating and sprawling as it was before. I slowly walked down its narrow walkway, keeping my eyes open for any signs that something had changed.

My shoes clanked against the grated floor as I went and my ears were filled with the hum of machinery and in only a matter of minutes I reached the back of the reactor. Still the space lacked the presence of the numerous Mako-condensing pods and I stared blankly at the door at the top of the stairs. To my dismay, nothing looked like it had changed.

It was the same as it was five years ago.

Walking up the stairs I came to a stop in front of the door, pulling it open. The hinges squealed as the door gave way and I strolled into the empty room, only occupied by one or two dusty boxes.

"Not gonna be here today either, huh?" I sighed.

Clank!

My eyes snapped up at the abrupt noise.

"Who's there?" I demanded. "No point in hiding, unless you wanted a game of hide and seek."

I waited for a few seconds, my voice hanging on the air. Then, my ears were met by a distinct sound; feet patting against the ground. Whoever it was decided to run away The person who I was dealing with was obviously not a guard. And I didn't want to think who else it might be; instead I took off in pursuit.

I made a mad dash for the door behind me, slamming it shut as I went. My feet practically flew down the steps as I skidded around the corner, running down one of the long walkways that were opposite of the direction I came in. Mentally I began preparing myself for an encounter. But unfortunately with my luck, the sound was becoming faint to my ears; whoever it was clearly was outrunning me.

"I won't let you get away!" I called out, my voice carrying along the metal walls. Keeping up my pace I continued full speed down the narrow path and only came to a halt as it split off in two different directions. Heart pounding, I tried rushing myself to make a decision of which way to take. Blindly making a choice, I veered around the left corner.

The longer I took, the faster that whoever it was would get away.

And then, much to my surprise, I found myself plowing into something...

No, someone.

I hit the person at full force and felt as if I had run into a wall. We fell to the ground in a clatter, the one who I ran into stunned on the ground. Rolling over to the side, I took a deep breath and got back up on my feet, staggering as I regained my balance. That was the first time I had ever run into somebody at full force like that, and it wasn't pleasant.

"Who the heck did I just pulverize?" I asked myself.

I blinked trying to see past the spots dotting across my eyes as my breathing became regulated again.

That was when I realized who it was I ran into.

I knew this person; it might have been a while, but I still recognized him. I stared at the figure wide-eyed, watching him as he pulled himself up off the ground. And when he finally met my gaze, I came to my senses. And I was especially grateful that my mouth wasn't hanging open.

"You're…"

The hair was a dead giveaway.

The person in front of me—the boy was Cloud Strife.

"What are you doing around a place like this?!" I snapped breaking free of my stupor. "You know that this place is authorized personnel only, right? I thought I was chasing down some creep!"

I was puzzled. Out of all the places I could run into Cloud strife, I never expected it to be at the reactor. And then my mind begged for the answer to a question: What was he doing there in the first place?

Nothing was right with that picture.

How could he have even made it all the way up here by himself?

"I wasn't running." Cloud said sharply.

My brow furrowed; that meant that somebody else besides us was there. Brushing the thought aside, I focused my attention back on Cloud. "Okay, regardless of that this is no place for kids. I've got to get you out of here."

"But you don't look much older than I am." He then noted.

I paused for a moment and found myself glancing down at my own hands and then back up at Cloud. Despite his age he was already as tall as I was. It was weird realizing that Cloud was nearly taller than I was. Physically he was only roughly a year younger than I was. Couple that with the fact that I still felt like an adult and that made the situation even better.

"I can see your point." I agreed casually. "What brings you up here anyways? Wouldn't, I don't know, your mother be worried?"

"Just exploring." He answered carefully.

Crossing my arms, I considered it for a second. It was entirely possible that Cloud Strife was an adventurous as a kid; I had nothing that told me otherwise. Journeying up to a Mako reactor? Sure, as dangerous as it sounded I wasn't about to look too deeply into it. Even back in Banora the children there did take to going just about anywhere whether their parents allowed them or not.

And I didn't know how kids in Nibelheim were, so who was I to say otherwise. I just wanted him to leave.

"Can't get more than a sentence out of you can I?" I then asked rubbing the back of my head. "Not like I am an adult you know."

"Why are you here?" Cloud finally asked.

"Me? Well I'm looking for someone of course."

"Who? The person you were chasing?"

Progress, that was good. And it seemed that I drew his attention.

"Actually, someone who can help me find my way home." I answered honestly. "Come to think of it, we need to leave. Pretty sure neither of us wants to be here with a third party wandering around somewhere."

An unknown danger was in the reactor, lurking in the shadows. What their intention was, I had no idea; they could have been digging around for information, running sabotage, or following me around...I was hoping it wasn't that last one. There were also so many things that could go wrong and I couldn't let Cloud out of my sight. Doing that would put him and danger. And on top of that if the guards caught onto this intruder, well…I didn't want to think about what would happen if Cloud was still there.

"Name's Sibyl by the way."

"…"

"Come on, I'm not that scary am I? Usually a person thanks the one saving his hide and, I don't know, gives his name?" I said sarcastically.

"It's Cloud."

"See that? That's great, we're finally getting somewhere." I reached forward and grabbed him by the arm, his posture stiffening under my touch. "Calm down already, I just want to get us out of here."

Compared to the first time I had seen Cloud, he seemed different; abrasive and more standoffish. It must have had to do with the aftermath of the bridge collapse; as a result the Cloud in front of me now was closer to resembling his older self. My own role in the ordeal had apparently changed very little in the eyes of the townspeople.

Tugging on his arm I began to pull Cloud forward until he started moving. Letting go of him, he followed silently behind me not so much as uttering a single syllable. And as we headed back towards the front end of the Mako reactor, I couldn't help but feel his eyes boring into my back.

I definitely scared him. With how exhausted I felt I was probably acting out of my normal range, but in the end it wasn't as if my goal was to befriend Cloud; that couldn't happen. The only thing I was going to do after getting him back to safety was give him a stern lecture; my responsibility or not, there was no way I was going to let a risky behavior like that slide by.

Closing in on the entrance I stopped in my tracks just out of sight of the guards.

"Here's what's going to happen." I began in a whisper. "You wait here, I'll go distract the guards and you slip by, okay? Nothing else. Don't worry about me because I'm allowed to be here. It may not look like it, but…"

He nodded without me having to explain further and I grinned at him as I turned away walking to the entrance. Casting a glance back over my shoulder, Cloud had already completely disappeared from my sight.

Smart kid.

"Excuse me." I called. "Yes. There is something that needs to be brought to attention"

After sharing a look, both of the guards walked over to me; the two men were definitely a lot taller than me and much older. In my mind I found myself laughing at that fact, that two grown men were about to get an earful from a young teen like me. And I was going to enjoy it.

"There seems to be something wrong with your security." I began speaking politely. "Someone else was with me in the reactor, though I don't know who. They disappeared on the far side and I suggest you check it."

As I spoke, I detected the slight annoyance of the man standing on the left while the other remained passive. The only reason why they were listening to me in the first place was the perk of wearing the Turk's suit. That told them that I meant business, but it didn't mean that they were going to take me seriously. I continued on giving in full detail the encounter and where exactly I lost track of the intruder.

Finally, I saw a hint of blond hair out of the corner of my eye leaving out through the massive entrance; Cloud had slipped out. And then on top of things I was also alerting the guards of an intruder. I was getting this new job down.

"Well? Hurry up." I snapped at them with a sickeningly sweet smile. "I don't think that the higher ups are going to want to hear if their guards are slacking off."

The men's faces paled and I took that as my cue to leave. I walked straight past them and out of the reactor and after plodding down the stair I let out a sigh of relief; it had gone out as planned. Looking around though, I found only one thing missing; Cloud wasn't in sight and had already left.

Gone.

Just like that.

"Well I suppose it's for the best." I grumbled.

A thank you would have been nice at least.

Walking over to the chocobo, I mounted him once more.

"Let's go back, boy."

"Wark?"

"Nibelheim. Home. Anywhere but here." I mumbled.

As soon as he started moving again I buried my face into his silky feathers, letting him take the lead. I didn't want to look around that much, especially not when we crossed over the bridge down.

The only upside was that the sun was going down and obscuring the mountains from view.

Absently, my eyes started to close on their own as I listened to the thumping rhythm of Bo's claws hitting the ground. It was only when he stopped that I opened my eyes again. Sliding off of him, I finally got a good look around.

It wasn't Nibelheim.

"Wark."

"I'm too tired for this." I said lamely.

In response the chocobo merely sat down, tucking his legs underneath him. Surrounding us were the other six chocobos that were a part of his new group; his new family.

That was where he had brought me.

Taking a few steps over I eventually curled up on the ground next to him, sinking into his mass of feathers again. With all the other chocobos around it was really warm too, warm enough to fight off Mt Nibel's chill.

I would go back in the morning I decided.

As I slowly faded into an uneasy sleep, a though stirred at the back of my mind. Something really horrible was about to happen, of that I was sure.

And it had something to do with whoever it was that had been at the reactor.

* * *

...

Author's Note: I realize that I am reposting this chapter. After mulling it over for a bit, I realized that it was far to lengthy making it a slightly confusing jumble. That said, I have cut it in half and am rewriting the other part for the next chapter followed by yet another chapter in attempt to make better sense of it and slow it down. It's taken me a while to organize my thoughts, but I've also got a lot planned out for the next few chapters.

This one serves as more of a build up for what's to come.

Thanks,

~BlueCampanula


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: The Threshold**

* * *

...

I stood outside in the shadow of Cloud's house deep in thought.

With some sleep the haze in my mind cleared slightly and I began to look back on what had happened the day before. I had run into Cloud at the reactor, and that was something I couldn't get over; I needed answers. Finding Cloud's house itself wasn't that big of a deal. After asking only one person I was pointed in the right direction.

The door in front of me creaked open causing me to jump.

It wasn't who I was looking for though.

"Can I help you?" A feminine voice asked gently.

In the doorway stood a lady who looked exactly like Cloud—the blonde hair and even the blue eyes. The only thing that was different between the two was the softer features in the woman's face. Dressed in a simple orange dress with a white apron, she looked down at me and her eyes twinkled faintly.

She was really…beautiful. And it was safe to say that that was who Cloud got most of his looks from.

It was his mother and there wasn't a doubt in my mind about that.

"Um, yes Ma'am." I replied politely. "I'm looking for Cloud. Is he around?"

The woman's eyes quickly scanned over me, something that I would have missed if I blinked. "I'm afraid he's not here. Has he gotten himself in trouble?" She said cautiously.

Seeing the concern in her eyes, I was quick to react.

"No, not at all. I just have a few questions, that's all." I said waving away her concern. The tension I didn't realize was there disappeared from the woman's posture. Her shoulders relaxed and even the expression on her face turned into a small, radiant smile.

"You have questions? Well then you're more than welcome to come in. I'm sure Cloud will be back soon. I can make you some tea while we wait." She said suddenly tugging me by the arm into the house.

"That's not necessary Ma'am—" I began to respond.

"Please just call me Claudia. There's no need for the formalities, and I insist." Cloud's mom quipped.

Letting myself get pulled inside, I found myself standing in the middle of the small home. It was decorated sparsely with well-worn furniture and felt rather compact. Claudia Strife let go of my arm after closing the door behind her and walking over to the rustic kitchen on the opposite side of the room.

"You can have a seat at the table if you like." She said as she placed a small kettle on the stove.

I quietly walked over to the small table that sat inside the kitchen, my eyes taking in the home's other details. The chair squeaked slightly under my weight as I sat down.

"I hope you don't mind. It is rather small." Mrs. Strife commented as she set down a teacup in front of me.

"No, that's fine." I said as I watched as the woman made her way back over to the stove and grabbed the whistling kettle.

Said woman returned, sitting down in the chair next to me. "So what questions did you want to ask my son? It's not very often that he gets visitors. Are you…looking to recruit him perhaps? You are with Shinra after all, and it's not hard to tell."

I shook my head.

"Actually, that's not what I'm here for." I paused taking a sip of the weak tea in front of me. In truth with everything else I was doing for them, it had nearly skipped my mind that the Turks were the ones who actively recruited for SOLDIER. That was what gave them a better façade to the public and helped hide the darker stuff.

Putting the cup down, I turned my thoughts to another pressing matter in front of me.

"Has Cloud…been acting different lately? You know, acting distant or saying anything strange?" I asked pointedly.

"No, he hasn't." She responded firmly. "How do you know Cloud?"

I fiddled with the teacup in my hands before deciding to tell the woman the truth.

"Well, you see, I ran into him up at the Mako reactor not too long ago. I'm sure you know that the company doesn't take lightly to trespassers and I just wanted to know if there was something behind it. Believe me when I say that I don't want anything to happen."

"Oh." She said quietly.

"Can you maybe tell me why he was there?"

"Cloud is…well he probably got his interest in the reactor when his father was still around; he used to work at the reactor you know." She sighed. "Sometimes I worry about him and whether or not he had enough friends; he's always walking into some sort of trouble when I'm not around, but he doesn't mean anything bad by it. Everybody else seems to think otherwise…"

"It's okay then, I understand. I just don't want anything to happen to him." I said honestly. Cloud already had to go through enough crap in one lifetime and I wasn't about to let it happen again, not if I could help it.

"Mrs. Strife, thank you so much for answering my questions, but I should be going now." I said. "Please tell him to stay away from the reactor from now on."

And possibly from Shinra.

"Wait, what is your name? It's not often that someone will look out for him like this." She said stopping me.

"It's Sibyl." I said reluctantly. "And thanks again for the tea Ma'am." I ducked my head gratefully before showing myself out, leaving behind Cloud's mom. As soon as I shut the door, I sighed and started walking back towards the inn.

Interacting with people who I had only known through a screen was the fastest way to make things difficult. I had no intention at all to interact with Cloud Strife's mother, yet there I was facing the fact that it did happen; hers was yet another face that I could add to the list of people I'd met.

And for such a minor character, I actually found myself liking her.

Cloud Strife's mother was a ray of sunshine; really outgoing and very nice, almost too nice. That was what I gathered through her actions. The fact that she just invited me, a complete stranger, into her home without a second thought spoke volumes. If I was in her shoes, I would have kept me at the door especially because the suit I wore would set off alarms in my mind.

Why would she willingly let a Turk into her house?

But then again, the Shinra Company probably hadn't given her any reason to fear or hate them…yet.

Claudia Strife wasn't just a minor character anymore.

And all that meeting more characters would amount to was more concern and worry heaped onto my back. It would be no different from meeting Mrs. Strife; they would all become real to me. As it was I was already in knee deep with Genesis and Angeal and Zack. And then the Turks were becoming involved too, even Cloud himself—the one person I wanted to avoid messing with from the beginning.

But then I still had this itching thought in my head… Talking to his mother had cleared up some of my questions, but it wasn't enough. And with everything else going on including dealing with an unknown enemy, my mind was officially swamped and last's night's sleep did absolutely nothing to help me out.

His actions were probably unusual to people like me who don't know him, but Cloud was just being Cloud… right?

"What are you doing here?"

Speak of the devil.

I turned my head to see Cloud standing not too far from me, his black shirt and green shorts dusted in mud; my guess was that he had been running around outside of the town. He was staring at me wearily like he was waiting for me to jump at him.

"Nothing, nothing. No need for the cold shoulder, just…" I thought for a split second, an idea suddenly popping into my head. "Hey, I've got a question for you—a riddle actually."

Cloud looked at me with suspicion in his gaze, but nonetheless he was waiting for me to continue speaking.

"Okay, so three brothers are traveling to Midgar for...a family reunion of sorts. But there was a problem. What was the name of who they were seeking?" I finally said to him.

That was what I had been thinking and that was what I wanted to know.

Something the Goddess had mentioned was that I wouldn't be alone and after yesterday a desperate thought had sunk itself into my mind; that yesterday's run in at the reactor was hinting at something else. I secretly found myself hoping that Cloud was up there looking for Jenova—that he somehow remembered what had yet to happen.

"Don't know." He said plainly.

My shoulders sank.

"That's fine I guess…" I said with a huff. "I had hoped that somebody else would know the answer too, but I'm still on my own in the end. You know what? Never mind. I've got the answers I came for; just pretend that you've never seen me, okay Cloud?"

Shaking my head I started to walk away, almost laughing at what I had been thinking.

Cloud actually knowing something?

Fat chance of that happening.

No matter what I was stuck in this mess all on my own; the only way left to go was forward though. I couldn't hit the pause button or just abandon everything.

"Wait, I know you." Cloud's voice interrupted my thoughts.

What?

I hesitated for a moment before slowly turning around to face him. He had had an unsettling, curious look in his soft blue eyes. Most of the standoffish attitude from earlier was gone too.

"Come again?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"I… I recognized your voice from somewhere. You helped back when…"

My eyes widened.

The bridge.

He remembered the bridge.

I was an idiot; I thought he would forget that. It had been almost three years since it happened and the fact that he did remember stunned me, especially because I figured there wasn't much to remember in the first place. I made sure my head was covered and wasn't even seen by anyone else. On top of that, I kept my speaking to a minimum.

But then that had to have been why he acted so strange at the reactor, why he acted almost like he knew something. He was probably trying to figure out why. And then he only connected the dots now…was it something I said?

Or did I really make that much of a lasting impact?

I blinked rapidly, realizing that I had remained silent for too long.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said trying to play it off.

"Heya Lasko! Finally found ya!" Reno's voice called from my right.

I turned my head fast enough to see the red headed Turk walking in my direction, an exasperated look on his face. Sauntering up to me he slammed a hand on the top of my head, messing up my hair.

"Hey!" I shouted ducking away from him. "What was that for?!"

"For disappearin', that's what." He said accusingly. "At least check your PHS once and a while, yo. Where did ya even go yesterday?"

I scowled slightly as I adjusted my hairband.

"I went to the reactor and then I fell asleep, okay?"

"And then ya decided to chat around in town, eh?"

Just as I was about to retort, I remembered that Cloud was still there. Turning back around, I saw the boy walking away from us.

"Hey—" I started to call out to him before stopping myself short.

There wasn't really a need to continue speaking to him, whether he knew me or not.

This Cloud was different from the one I kept expecting to run into; I was clearly looking for something that wasn't there. Cloud here was still just a shy kid and nothing more. Nibelheim wasn't destroyed and Zack wasn't dead.

He wasn't damaged.

And it was better that way too; the more I hung around him, the more likely it was to affect something. Whatever was left of the main storyline to follow, I wanted to keep as close to it as possible. It was all that I had to go on with finding Jenova and that was what really mattered.

On the other hand…I couldn't help but start to wonder when exactly would all the changes caught up to me, everything that I had already affected. Or maybe it already happened. I was ignoring a single fact.

There was somebody else at the reactor.

"Now that that's outta the way, we need to head up to the manor, yo." Reno said interrupting my thoughts. "Oh and you can look for Mog later."

"Yeah, I know." I mumbled. "And, hey, Reno?"

"What?" he asked nonchalantly.

"There was an incident yesterday at the reactor. There was somebody else there—aside from the guards and myself. I wasn't able to see who it was, but…he got away."

Reno paused at my words before turning to look at me; the look in his eyes was…scary.

"And you're sure it wasn't a guard?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I'd bet on it; he bolted before I could get the chance to even see him and he made quite the ruckus too."

Slapping a hand on my shoulder, the look in Reno's eyes changed to one of reassurance.

"Don't worry about it, yo. As long as we're here we'll be keepin' an eye on it."

Reno's words did little to settle me. The expression on his face from before told me that something was up. But before I could ask him, he changed the subject.

And that was how it was as we made our way back towards the mansion.

* * *

…

I finally learned what it was that Hojo was researching.

Listening to the hushed voices of the assistants from the cavern outside the lab itself, I slowly picked up on it. And after asking both Reno and Rude about it, it became clear. He was experimenting with materia infusion in people.

Mutating them.

And I could only imagine how much of a wrench I had thrown at Hojo with the unknown soldier from Wutai. The moment I had set foot back into the mansion's basement though I felt the thick atmosphere; the man was fast at work and I had no desire to see what it was that he was doing. Other than the assistants rushing back and forth by the three of us, there wasn't much else I could gather other than that the man was really annoyed.

Reno and Rude both carried on regardless with all the aloofness and professionalism that was the Turks. It was surprising to see even Reno that serious, but it was probably from being in the presence of one of Shinra's higher ups.

We would take turns, shifting posts and patrolling the mansion until it was about sunset. And after that, Reno was the one to stay behind this time as me and Rude headed back into the town for the night.

The reason we didn't stay at the mansion was in part because the beds were used for the assistants and Hojo alike (if he slept that was). I wasn't one to complain though; getting out of the creepy mansion and away from the deranged scientist was good enough for me, even if it was quite a walk down.

That evening passed by rather quickly. Rude talked very little and I ended up spending my time cleaning my shotgun. I didn't run into Cloud in the town either, but that was likely because I stayed put in the room, lost in my own thoughts up until falling asleep.

And then the next day after that was finally my turn to patrol at night.

The three of us were back up at the mansion in the old kitchen area standing around the wooden table.

"Maybe if this place wasn't so creepy it would actually make a nice home." I commented off-handedly.

"Yeah, you keep thinkin' that." Reno snorted. "Look, so ya got everythin' under control?"

I nodded my head and began placing my equipment on the table.

"Yep, I've got my PHS fully charged, shotgun loaded and…hold on," I said rifling through my jacket. "Aha! My materia too. I think that about covers it."

I began packing everything back away.

"Remember ta keep an eye open, especially in the cave, yo. The monsters constantly come up from the sewers."

"You're kidding, there's a sewer beneath this place?"

Rude nodded in response.

"And sheesh, how much materia are ya carryin' rookie?" Reno asked scrunching his nose. "I'll call in to Tseng and see if he can get ya somethin' more convenient when he comes."

"Okay, I've got it, I've got it." I said waving him away. "It's not really a problem…anyways you guys can get going now—"

"See ya!" Reno shouted as he walked out the door with Rude. Reno certainly was quick to leave, but I didn't blame him. Subconsciously maybe he too was really unnerved by the place.

"Yeah, see you guys in the morning." I muttered to no one.

Leaving behind the kitchen, I began to walk up the stairs of the mansion, heading towards the basement entrance with the dim sunset fading through the windows.

I had never warmed up to this place during my five years I spent there. During the daytime it was fine, but most nights I usually went outside and slept with Bo in his makeshift nest somewhere. That was how creepy it was, and not just with how it looked, but also because of what had happened there.

Lucrecia and Vincent stayed there on the other hand. I knew that Vincent had his coffin while the doctor opted to stay in one of the old rooms on the upper level, preferably the one furthest from the basement entrance.

And I was entering that very same door now, silently wishing that a certain moogle would show up from his extended absence if only to keep me company.

I walked down the rickety steps all the way to the bottom before reaching the cave. It was the only part of the mansion that looked exactly the same regardless of whether it was daytime or nighttime; its walls were lined with numerous lights making the full expanse of the cavern visible.

As I continued walking around, crossing through the cavern towards the lab, I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched; the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. It wasn't the monsters, of that much I was certain because they normally ignored me…It felt human.

Casting glances over my shoulder every few minutes, I saw nothing out of the ordinary and kept moving, but the eyes didn't seem to let up. Brushing it aside, I carried onward in my patrol.

Going back and forth between the mansion, not much had changed; the assistants were still sleeping and all the doors secure. I only ran into a monster three times in total, but easily dispatched them all the same.

Hours past and I eventually found myself stopping out in front of the lab, standing not too far from the room where Vincent's coffin was. My feet were almost dragging me towards the very place I wanted to avoid.

Shaking my head, my phone beeped.

Pulling it out, I checked the time: it was already five am. Rude was the one to message me again, keeping it short and simple.

They were coming back up.

Without missing a beat, I practically bolted out of the basement and back towards the mansion foyer. On the way there, I passed by several white lab coats heading the opposite direction; Hojo's assistants were up bright and early as well, but I hadn't seen the deranged scientist all night.

And as I came down the stairs I was met by the welcome sight of the two Turks. But as I got closer to them, I quickly noticed how tired they looked, Reno in particular.

"That worried about me, huh?" I said jokingly. "Didn't get that much sleep did you guys?"

Rude stared at me passively shrugging his shoulders while Reno rolled his shoulders out, trying to straighten his back. And while I couldn't see Rude's eyes, Reno's had a shadowed outline under them.

"Funny, yo. I'm dyin' on the inside." Reno said in a flat tone.

The amused smirk on my face faded away. If Reno was actually being serious then something was definitely up.

"What happened?" I asked with my attitude changing.

"Ya know how ya mentioned the reactor earlier? Well early this mornin' we were called up to investigate it. It turns out that the infantrymen on duty were gutted through."

"What?!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "But I was just up there! I told the people on guard about them and everything!"

"Didn't exactly work out did it?" Reno said stoically. "On top of that there's more than one goin' around. Look, I thought this'd be better explained in person, but we're headn' back up ta find them and that means you're on watch till we get back."

I dragged a hand through my hair in frustration. There was never anything about someone attacking the reactor; not in the game and not reading it online. It could only mean one thing: I somehow caused it.

And I could have probably stopped it had I not been so distracted.

"Hey, nothing ya coulda done about it, yo."

"Sure." I replied sourly, but Reno didn't know how wrong he was. "So…a group of thugs are on the loose in the area of Nibelheim. Are they from—"

"—The same group as our guy? Dunno." Reno said with a shrug. "But if they are then chances are that they somehow found out 'bout this lab. That means they'll have ta be eliminated. Ya need to go inform Professor Hojo 'bout this and then stay put till Tseng and Veld get here."

"Wait," I said waving my hand. "Did you say Veld? He's back?"

"Do I need ta say it twice? Now can you handle this rookie?" Reno asked with his eyes unblinking. "Hojo'll probably have a nasty fit when he finds out his secret lab 's been compromised."

"I…Of course I can; I am a Turk, so no problem. Go." I said giving him a solemn smile.

"Ey, that's more like it!" he said clapping a hand on my shoulder. His characteristic grin reappeared on his face as he turned to his partner "Alrighty Rude, time ta kick some ass!"

"Right. And I've got the good stuff too." Rude spoke.

"Ohhhh, I can't wait. What is it this time? A grenade? Some sort of explosive device?!" Reno asked excitedly.

"Hey, if you need back up then call!" I shouted after them.

"Don't think it'll be a problem. They made the mistake of messin' with us, so they'll face my wrath yo."

I flinched at his tone as I watched both Rude and Reno walk out the door; it was icy and almost venomous. Checking my phone, I turned around and started walking up the stairs again like I had been doing the whole night.

Six am.

This entire ordeal was turning into a giant mess and a half, and there I was hoping that running into the grey-clad soldiers was a one-time thing. My gut however was telling me that it was them and if I wasn't careful somebody would end up dead.

I froze up thinking about the possibility.

Reno and Rude's lives were on the line for this and then if the group made it past them, Cloud and Tifa would be next in line. Reno had also said that there were more of them and neither of the two Turks could possibly know what exactly they were up against.

I was the only one who had fought and killed them before—and I was pretty damn sure it was by luck. If either Reno or Rude were to underestimate them things were bound to end badly.

And I was on my own.

Biting my lip, I frowned; it seemed that nobody was ever actually around when I needed them…well, except for Genesis, but he was on another continent for the time being.

Shaking aside those thoughts, I steeled myself for the task ahead of me.

I needed to go into the lab and report to the mad scientist, something I was definitely not looking forward to at all.

* * *

…

I kept my eyes glued to the stone floor and tried to not look at any of the storage pods against the walls. Out of the corner of my eye though, I could see them; they were all occupied. And it was in that manner that I found myself speaking to Hojo, ready to bolt out of there if anything went wrong.

The man showed no signs of distracting from his task as I spoke about the new situation, unresponsive to my words and focused on the lab table in front of him. The other assistants were recording notes and handing him tools, retrieving files in and out from the library.

"Hmph, as I thought. It appears we will be getting more test subjects." Hojo finally said, placing the scalpel in his hands on the table. Taking off his glasses, he wiped them off with a towel before putting them back on.

So the man was listening.

"Sir?" One assistant asked him in question.

"That there's another scientist out there attempting to mimic my work and doing a very poor job of it." Hojo snipped. "Doubtless that whoever created this one didn't plan an unveiling this early. He would want to recover it before anything else."

"You're pretty certain then?" I said finding the voice to speak.

Hojo focused his attention on me, but I managed to keep my face straight and emotionless as I raised my own eyes to meet his gaze.

"Of course I am! I've been at this game for far longer than you." He said adjusting his glasses before turning back to his assistants. "Begin emergency procedures; take only the A-ranking files."

"And the other experiment subjects?" A brown haired assistant inquired.

Behind him the rest of the men and women in white lab coats began moving to and fro in a hastened pace, heading for the library with several boxes; most likely they were to retrieve the files about Project S: the very writings that would destroy Sephiroth's sanity. Against my better judgment, I finally looked up at the pods stationed along the walls.

My eyes widened in shock.

Inside the pods were several people of various ages and genders; they were civilians. And if their facial features were anything to go by, they weren't of Wutai either…

"They are of no further use. Leave them to be discarded." I heard Hojo say.

I bit my lip and forced down the words threatening to spill from my mouth. I knew what it was that I was looking at. They were innocent people—people that were undoubtedly supposed to be under the protection of the Shinra Company.

Trying to distract myself, I looked away only to find my attention drawn to the table in front of me where Hojo stood.

And what I found myself looking upon was horrifying: A limp body lay strewn across the table, the limbs strapped down and the skin dotted with numerous incisions and tubes. At the sight of it, my stomach felt sick but I couldn't look away from it.

"Is that…?" I asked myself uncertainly.

"Speak in full sentences when you're talking." Hojo corrected not taking his attention off of the thing in front of him.

I knew though who it was; it was the soldier we had captured from the mission—at least what was left of him. Less than only three days and Hojo had already made quick work of him. What was before me never crossed my mind; I thought that I knew what Hojo was capable of, but knowing of it and actually seeing it were two completely different things.

The body twitched slightly from its place on the table and I inhaled sharply, taking a step back. He was still alive. Barely though; it looked like he was only being kept alive within an inch of his life.

None of this was right.

It was all a nightmare.

But there I was in the middle of it, holding my silence and doing nothing. I was merely standing there with my eyes on the mutilated living-corpse in front of me… If I had just killed him, he would have been better off; it was entirely my fault that he ended up on that table in a position that I myself feared the most.

Why?

All because of some weak desire to prove that I wasn't different from who I used to be. In my mind I still wanted to be the girl from earth; the one that lived a normal life and did normal things; the one that lived in a society that made sense and knew justice. But that was a lie.

All of it was a lie.

What was I feeling anymore?

I was ashamed of myself, ashamed of my own narrow-minded thinking; the only word to describe it was _weak_. And I felt helpless about it. One wrong move and everything could be ruined. But on top of that, I could only feel rage; pure anger.

But the thing is that I was far from helpless and there _was_ something I could do.

And yet I was a coward.

"It would take a miracle to save this man from his miseries." I remarked coldly.

"A miracle?" Hojo scoffed at my statement. Scribling furiously on the papers in front of him, Hojo didn't even spare a glance at me as he continued speaking. "You would do well to remember Young Turk that there are no such things as miracles in this world. Once things happen, they cannot be reversed. The only higher power there is is science; there is no god and there never has been."

I tore my gaze off of the body, only to glare daggers into Hojo's back; the man himself was unaffected by all of it; killing and torturing people all for science.

This was Hojo?

Before my mind could continue with that train of thought, a firm hand grasped my shoulder. My reaction was instant; I spun my head around prepared to lash out at the hand's owner when I suddenly found myself nearly rendered speechless, the fuming anger slowly replaced by realization and then by shock.

I found myself looking up at a familiar face with brown hair and tired looking brown eyes.

"…Veld."

The head of the Turks was the one who stood behind me, gazing down on me with a passive expression on his face. The last time I had seen the man was when Genesis and Angeal were leaving Banora. But there was something that struck me as odd right away.

There was something different about Veld's appearance; his eyes were empty and lackluster. In fact, compared to last time, Veld's whole appearance had changed and the longer I looked at him the more I could tell. His skin had paled considerably and his face looked aged well beyond his years.

And then I couldn't help but think that something really horrible had gone on; Veld didn't leave his job only because of a family emergency.

"Here to control your subordinate? Good. Be useful and get her out of my lab." Hojo spoke up. I nearly jumped at his words, but Veld was the one who stopped me. With a calm façade he ushered me out of the lab, a hand locked on top of my shoulder.

As we reentered the caverns, his arm went back to his side. That was when a gleam caught my eye; his hand was metal—a prosthetic perhaps?

"I see that you've managed to come this far." Veld finally said with a hoarse voice. "It's been awhile."

"Yes sir." I answered plainly as I kept up my pace beside him. Unsure of what else to say, I tried making a light conversation with the man. "I was actually hoping that you'd be the one to welcome me, but when I made it to Midgar, they told me you were away."

Pulling out the phone from my pocket, I played with it in my hands; there were no messages from Reno or Rude that anyone from HQ had come. Combined with the fact that Veld was here—in the lab of all places—that stood out to me. Out of the corner of my eye, he was almost refusing to look at me.

It was suspicious.

"My apologies. I trust you've been performing well regardless." He said blandly.

We continued our way, moving back up the old spiral staircase and reaching second floor of the mansion. The conversation had lapsed into silence with nothing but the sound of our shoes against the floor filling the emptiness. Taking a curious glance at him, Veld's face revealed little of what he was thinking about.

The most I could round it down to was bitterness or…nostalgia?

But I wasn't going to get anywhere by making assumptions.

"Sir, have you…been here the whole time?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. I cringed at the sound of my own words before finding the nerve to speak again. "I mean, that arm—you never had that before." I said scrutinizing the metal. "And then I haven't got any messages that you had arrived. What…"

"As I figured, you really are observant, however, the answers you ask for are on a need to know basis only. And as for this," he said raising the arm up, "it is merely a means of continuing my duty, nothing more.

"Will it always be like this?" I asked bluntly. "Using children as soldiers, killing people, illegal human experimentation, all of this secrecy? Things just kept piling up on top of the things that I thought I knew."

"Such is the way of the investigation sector. In time you will become accustomed to it; the work that we do is not taken lightly." Veld stated plainly.

"And I believe that you were well aware of it from the beginning, Miss Lasko." Tseng's voice carried across the foyer.

Startled, I turned my head towards the mansion's front door from the top of the steps where we stood. In the doorway Tseng stood with an air of calm about him, his eyes carefully studying the situation.

"There was a change of plan then?" Tseng added with his gaze focusing on Veld before shifting to me.

"An explanation will stand for another time; for now we must focus on the situation at hand. Have either of you made contact with Rude or Reno?" Veld responded swiftly.

"Nothing." I answered.

"It is the same." Tseng said in response.

Veld began walking down the stairs and I found myself following him once more.

"And I trust you have radioed in for more assistance."

Tseng pulled out his cellphone.

"They will be arriving in about twenty minutes. If these assailants are the same as the deviant soldiers then we'll be needing them."

"Wait, who is coming?" I asked cautiously. Tseng was the one who responded to my question. Pocketing the PHS, he turned to me before speaking.

"Members of SOLDIER and a small unit of infantrymen." Tseng looked like he wanted to say more, but he stopped himself short. Turning his head to focus on Veld, I received the message loud and clear: he wanted to talk to Veld alone.

"I'm going to step out for a moment," I announced, excusing myself. "If you need me, well…I'll be back in a little bit."

And with that said I looked away from the two Turks and walked out the mansion's front door, letting my feet carry me wherever they would take me. Whatever they wanted to talk about, I couldn't have cared any less at that point; not with everything else going on. I slowly left the mansion behind me, leaving through the gates outside.

Things were getting more complicated than I would've liked to admit.

Nibelheim was possibly going to be attacked by an unknown factor; people were likely to be injured or even die. And I was starting to worry about what impact it might have moving forward. There were too many variables involved with that alone and I didn't even know the identity of one.

Rogue SOLDIERS?

People bent on destroying Shinra?

The hell if I knew anything about it. I wasn't an omniscient being and I certainly didn't have all the power in the world to manipulate everything. I was merely holding the cards I was dealt with. And then there was something else that I couldn't ignore; a question that had presented itself to me.

With what I had just witnessed, could I leave people to suffer at the hands of a mad man?

I thought I supposedly knew of the atrocities that Professor Hojo was committing, but after seeing it in person I realized how horribly wrong I was. A game wasn't enough to convey what this man was capable of doing; it didn't even show half the details of what I had just seen in the lab. The man wasn't just some deranged scientist from a game; he was real.

And so was the pain he was causing many people. Hojo needed to be dealt with; the longer he was even alive, the more pain he could cause. My mind blindly wondered why the Shinra Company was letting him get away with such horrible crimes, but I already knew that answer: the people that ran it were corrupt too.

But I never stopped to think that...I was also responsible for letting the man get away with those crimes too. What good would getting rid of Jenova do for the people of Gaia? Was the planet going to be even the slightest bit better by removing an invalid parasite?

My shoulders sagged at the thought, and the rage I felt disappeared.

It wouldn't be.

But…was that truly what I was aiming for?

I didn't know anymore.

* * *

...

?

"What prompted you to show yourself early?" Tseng asked his superior.

Tseng was actually surprised by the actions of his boss; the Veld he had come to know in his rookie days was a man of punctuality, a man who never detracted from a plan on any whim. Except for now; this was the first time Tseng had ever witnessed such actions.

And now that they were alone, Tseng took the opportunity to find out why.

"There had been a slight change and I found it necessary to take action." Veld responded, indulging the Turk with an answer. He didn't have to respond in the slightest, but saw no reason not to. If anything trust between coworkers, especially in the Turk's line of work was dire even between a boss and his underlings.

"This new development was unexpected." Tseng nodded in agreement. "For them to have found the lab in such a short time, something else is amiss."

Nobody but Hojo and his most trusted assistants were privy to the special lab in Nibelheim aside from the Turks. The two Turks both knew that it boded the question of who was the one to leak such information.

"This is beginning to overreach our area of expertise. While I may have been in the dark for a while, it is high time I returned. Who is being sent to us?" Veld asked simply.

"The General himself, sir. He was about to return from Wutai on leave and with this situation I thought it best to leave nothing to chance. A lot is at risk."

"Indeed."

"Sir?" Tseng spoke up again. "Out of curiosity, what is the real reason you acted earlier than planned?"

He saw through Veld in that moment. Mulling it over in his mind as their conversation wore on, Tseng didn't see any reason for Veld to reveal himself especially when Tseng himself was only minutes away from arrival.

He couldn't help but wonder what was going through the man's mind.

"That is an explanation best served for another time, Tseng."

* * *

...

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! I had to go through and fix a lot of things, especially with the last chapter. Feeling that it was a bit rushed and that Sibyl's character was a bit off, I decided to break it into two chapters. All of a sudden more things have come to light with that simple change. And Sibyl has finally started to realize just what was happening with her plan and what was going to happen all along.

The roof is finally starting to crumble over her head.

Hopefully as we get further into this year, I'll get things on a normal writing schedule again with updates maybe once every week or two weeks; that'll happen as soon as I get everything in order. I appreciate all the patience of my readers and wanted to give a shout out to my reviewers! I'll admit, it's always thrilling to get a review notice and highly motivating, so thanks a bunch!

Until next time,

~BlueCampanula


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen: Mission Complete**

* * *

...

I had been going about this the wrong way.

I thought that it wouldn't be a big deal to work under Shinra, to be a _murderer _for them. I was thinking that it was the rest of the world's problem to deal with Shinra; that someone else was bound to overthrow them eventually. But it only took a few weeks of dealing with them to realize just how wrong I was. They were draining the planet, waging unnecessary wars, killing a lot of people. Throw Hojo into the mix and it made things ten times worse…

It all became a moral question to me; of whether or not I could sit idly by and watch these things happen.

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized how torn I was with how to act. Fear that I never noticed was what was holding me back; fear of the unknown. Right from the beginning I had selfishly clung to the information I had and intended to keep the story of Final Fantasy as close to the same as possible.

But I was forgetting something important.

Doing that meant that Zack would die and that Angeal would die. I would lose them if I didn't start changing the path I was on now; already just saving them would have changed things, but I didn't consider it in the slightest. And then there was a whole other problem entirely…I didn't know what to do about Genesis' degradation.

And I was calling them my friends…some friend I was being. It wasn't that I had a hero complex or anything, but I knew deep down that I couldn't continue going on like this for much longer. I needed to throw away my sense of security and move forward and actually make use of the information I had. Jenova would come with time, but until then I was going to have to start patching things up before they fell apart.

I needed to correct my mistakes and I wasn't going to let my emotions get the better of me anymore.

But the question was…how could I go about doing it?

* * *

...

There was a stillness in the air hanging around Mt Nibel. It was as if the planet was holding its breath and waiting for something to happen. I had walked outside the mansion and stopped myself at its gates, picking up stones in my hand and skipping them across the dirt. The silence was unsettling and I slowly started to wonder what was going to happen next. If Tseng was here and he had called for backup there was definitely going to be an attack.

"_Whatcha thinking about, Kupo?_"

Snapping to attention, I spun around fast to find the source of the voice. A familiar weight settled onto my shoulder and I felt a genuine smile form on my face. Turning my head, I could see Mog perched on my shoulder. He had finally come out from hiding and that meant that I had somebody to talk to, even if I couldn't find Vincent. Sending a cautious glance back towards the mansion, I checked to make sure nobody was around before I responded to the moogle in a hushed voice.

"About time you'd show up!" I said accusingly. "Where have you been?"

Mog didn't respond and instead waited for my answer.

I sighed.

"Well…A lot of things. Things are…going to have to be different from now on." I admitted. "I can't sit idly by and watch my friends go down the path they're going, not when I can help them. And then in the process—even now—how many will get killed because of the mistakes I make?"

Mog tilted his head to the side.

"_Why?_"

"Well…Because when a person dies they're gone, their existence is at an end. Nothing can ever fix that. It'll be something over my head; my fault."

"_But! You forget, everything returns to her in the end, Kupo._" The moogle said almost reassuringly.

"What do you mean, and who is this person you keep speaking about?" I finally asked focusing my full attention on the small creature. Numerous times the moogle kept mentioning a 'her' or a 'she', but I didn't know who he referred to. It was all cryptic to me.

Mog let go of my shoulder and flew out in front of me, his black eyes studying my face in curiosity. Raising a small paw to his mouth, the moogle tilted his head once more in question. "_But Mog thought you've seen her before?_"

"The Goddess?" I concluded, my eyes widening. "Wait, can you speak with her?!" Mog shrank back at the loudness of my voice. "Ah, sorry," I said apologetically. "But can you speak to her?"

The moogle shook his head and my shoulders sank.

"_Mog's only seen her once in a dream. She asked Mog to help Siby._"

"Well…At least I know she's watching. Great reassurance right there." I said with a huff of annoyance. I wasn't really sure what sending the moogle would do for me; at most maybe warn me of approaching enemies or something. And then there was the fact that any scientist out there would probably love to get their hands on him one way or another and that would add to my troubles.

"_Oh, oh! Mog has something to give Siby!_" Mog perked up suddenly. Holding out his paw, a dark green stone popped into existence. He held it out to me, placing it into my hands. And as soon as it met my skin, I knew what it was.

"This is a new materia? It's gravity too… I didn't think that kind existed here." I said in awe rolling the small stone in my palm. And it wasn't a synthetic one either, it was natural and I could tell by the way it felt. Finding naturally formed materia was very hard to accomplish; I knew that for a fact. It was one of the many reasons why I had so few materia of my own. Those synthetic materia, I had come to learn, felt different. They felt corrupt and held no voice of their own.

This one was more alive.

"Where did you get this?" I asked Mog.

"_Mog found it a few minutes ago in Wutai._"

"In Wutai?" I said nearly choking. "How?" We were hours and hours away from Wutai; it wasn't physically possible to travel there and back in the span of a few minutes. My mind started to wonder if there was more to the moogle's disappearing act than he let on. "Wait…are you telling me that you can travel anywhere in the blink of an eye?" I voiced my thoughts. "Go anywhere and find things—find _people_?"

"_Of course Mog can. Look, look! Mog will get another materia for you!_"

"No Mog that's not—!"

Too late; with a small pop, Mog had disappeared from my sights. I shook my head, but then smiled. Mog _could_ help me. Through him, I would be able to find Vincent. I could probably get the moogle to take him a letter or two and that way I could keep in touch with him. Things were starting to pull together at last.

The only thing to do would be to find some place to start.

I looked down at the materia in my hand. Holding it out, I took aim at the ground in front of me.

"Gravity." I commanded.

Smirking, I watched as a dark sphere appeared in front of me before quickly dispelling.

"This is going to be interesting." I said clenching the materia tighter in my hands. Quite frankly, I wasn't starting to mind the thought of seeing the old Shinra Mansion burning to the ground. Baby steps though.

Twiddling with the new materia in my hands for a few more seconds, I shoved it into the pocket of my pants; there was only so much space in my jacket. I sighed and glanced at the sky, watching a flock of birds disappear into the clouds. Not knowing what else to do I began to zone out again and picked up a few more pebbles, throwing them over the brick wall. With each one I threw, a soft clack could be heard on the ground outside the mansion's gates.

"Well, this is boring." I said to no one.

Picking up one final stone, I hurled it with all my might over the fence.

_Boom_!

The ground beneath my feet rumbled and I felt my heart skip a beat as a thundering howl crashed in my ears. Stumbling forward, I hastily glanced back over towards the mountains only to see a massive cloud of dust pluming up into the sky: What had just happened?

A sharp slamming of a door and heavy footsteps on the ground grabbed my attention and I spun around to see Tseng and Veld rushing towards me. The expression on their faces was mainly blank. It was only Tseng's eyes that revealed a hint of shock in them; he had caught sight of the mountain peak, or at least what was left of it.

In the distance where one of Nibel's jagged peaks should have been there was nothing.

"I didn't do it!" I exclaimed waving my hand at the mountain range.

Veld ignored my childish remark and instead turned to Tseng.

"Any word from Rude or Reno?"

Tseng promptly shook his head as he pulled out his phone and checked it again. "Something must have gone awry."

No duh.

As if on cue the phone in my pocket started ringing, blasting out a familiar jingle. Scrambling for my pocket to grab it, Tseng held out his hand and I automatically handed it to him. Taking it from me, he calmly held it up to his ear. Instantly his reaction was to jerk the phone away; I distinctively heard Reno's voice, but it was muddled.

"_Guys from be—.Overwhelmed—Headin' your way, yo!_"

The phone line went dead right as another explosion echoed from further up the mountain. That wasn't good; it meant that hell would come knocking on the door soon enough and when that happened I was going to be facing my biggest challenge yet. Would I be able to keep everyone alive? Was the fate of the planet riding on my shoulders at that very moment?

"It's time for a change of plans then." Veld said, his voice hanging on the air.

"Bring it on." I replied back, masking my uncertainty. Tseng nodded in agreement, handing me back my PHS.

"We have to split up in order to prepare for what comes. Two will stay behind here and continue the evacuation of the lab while one returns to Nibelheim." Veld said calmly. "Once the reinforcements arrive there should be no trouble after that. Expect to engage the enemy at a moment's notice; with the mountain's collapse, there's no telling what sort of other creatures will be encountered. The priority at hand is to minimize casualties as well as protect the important Shinra personnel."

"I'll get going then." I volunteered before Tseng had the chance to say anything. If they were allowing at least one of us to go back to the town, it had to be me. It would give me the chance to make sure I did everything in my power to keep the town safe, the town that I might have doomed a few years to early thanks to my presence. Not waiting for a response, I turned away from the two Turks.

"Can you handle it?" Tseng finally spoke up.

I paused for a moment before turning back to look at him; his eyes darted once towards Veld for a split second before looking back at me. It seemed as if Tseng was unsettled by what he had said, but I didn't know why.

"You bet I can. Monsters or not, they won't hold me back and I'll get there the quickest. Besides," I said scratching my head guiltily, "It _is _our fault that this is happening in the first place, and I'm not about to let anyone else die because of it."

Unflinching, Veld's brown eyes looked down at me.

"Go."

"Lasko," Tseng called before I could leave. "You'll need this."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out something I couldn't see and handed it to me. I gawked as I found myself looking down at a black and gold metal armlet with black ribbon. I vaguely recognized it as the Minerva band.

"Hey, thanks a bunch!" I said in surprise. "Not much time to put it on my upper arm, so this'll have to do for now." As quickly as I could, I pushed back my jacket sleeve, tying the band as securely as I could around my forearm. Nodding in approval, I slid my hands into my pockets and brought out my materia, snapping each into place filling up four of the armlet's six materia slots.

The weight in my pockets vanished and I felt five times better than I had before. Aside from the Turk's unusually durable jacket, the armlet encircling my forearm was the first piece of armor that I actually owned.

"Stay focused and don't hesitate for a second; above all else, keep the circumstances of this incident quiet." Tseng added.

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

...

True to my word, I found myself bolting into town about ten minutes later.

Breathing hard, my eyes flitted around to the different buildings and to the people walking out and about. On the way back, I had stopped by several of the remote houses and urged the people there to take cover; they had seen one of the peaks collapse, so it didn't take much persuasion on my part.

And Veld was spot on when he said that the local monsters would be running amok. Proof enough were the slightest scorch marks on my black suit from fending off a few Bombs on my way down. They were easily taken care of thanks to my new gravity materia and within seconds had been flattened to the ground.

Shaking my head, I broke from my thoughts and turned my focus to the task ahead; not wasting any more time I went towards everyone I saw and began warning them. Some of the townsfolk were easy, but then there were some who were putting up a fight.

"I don't see why we have to." A snot-nosed kid retorted.

And I had been making such great progress too…perks of being a young teenage worker right there.

"You're pulling our legs; nothin' ever happens here." The brown haired boy boasted to his two friends beside him. "Besides, you're a girl. Why don't you just run along?"

"Listen here, _punk_," I said threateningly. "If you don't get your butt inside along with your friends', it won't be my fault if something happens."

"Ooh, so scary!" The boy jeered.

I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

"Hey—"

"You guys do realize she works for the investigation sector of Shinra, right?" A familiar voice cut in.

"Huh?" the other boy tilted his head in question.

"The Turks?"

The boy's eyes widened and all of a sudden, he and his friends lost their confidence. Ever so slowly, the leader of the trio backed away before turning and bolting right past his friends and out of sight with them tailing behind.

"Long time no see, Cloud." I said teasingly. "It seems that we're even now, not that I couldn't handle it."

"I never did ask for your help in the factory either." The blond said smartly, his blue eyes meeting mine. The slight twinkle of amusement in his eyes turned serious. "So what's this about trouble? Does it have to do with the earthquake earlier?"

"It's nothing. A minor issue and I've been sent to help with the aftermath." I replied curtly.

"Hm."

I glanced at him discreetly; the boy didn't look to entirely convinced with my answer. "Look, please just return to home. Yes, there is something going on. No, I'm not able to say what it is. As a final note, the last thing I want to see is anyone getting hurt here."

Namely Cloud.

Why was the so-called shy boy becoming friendly with me now?

"Cloud, is everything alright?"

I turned my head slightly and saw another familiar face standing not too far behind Cloud. It was Tifa Lockhart finally making an appearance; her long brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and she wore a pretty teal dress that fell just below her knees.

"Tifa," Cloud said glancing at her. "Why wouldn't it be? Come on…we should get inside."

Not waiting for her to answer, the boy started walking away with the young girl following behind him. I had to stop myself from smiling; it was almost adorable how they were acting. Two people whose older counterparts I could recognize were really different from their future selves. And I wasn't about to let them die.

As I watched them walk away however, I felt a cold chill go down my spine and my body stiffened.

Turning my head, my eyes rapidly scanned the surrounding area; something was up, that was what my gut was telling me.

I jolted to attention right as a spec of red entered my vision. It moved almost slowly across the ground as my eyes followed it; not even thinking about what was happening, my legs began moving, but it felt like they were wedged in mud.

A sniper?

The enemy was here already.

And they were targeting somebody…Somebody that wasn't me. My eyes widened in horror as I flung out my hand, dashing madly towards the girl in the teal dress—towards Tifa. Opening my mouth, I prepared to warn her, but couldn't find the words. And right as the red dot landed on her, I did the last thing I ever expected.

I bolted out in front of her, shielding her from the eye of red.

_Crack_!

My mind took a few seconds to register where it was that the noise had come from. It was distinct and sounded more like a small tree snapping in half; not like any gunfire I had ever heard. It was loud too, as if it was coming from where I stood. And that was when I felt this pain erupting from my leg—or was it my hip?

A scream of pain tore out from my throat and I slipped to the ground on one leg and blood splattered out across the browned earth; I had been shot. For the first time in my life I had been shot. And it the pain was excruciating.

But I couldn't let myself fall to the ground.

Not when everything was at stake.

It—it was hurting so much though.

Lashing out in a heartbeat, I targeted my fury and pain in the direction where the shot came from; right towards the water tower. I could see the slightest glint of red goggles as confirmation; the bastard was hiding inside the water tower. With as much force as I could muster, I held out my hand, trying to focus.

This would be his mistake.

"Thundaga!"

An earsplitting crash echoed against the buildings in the silent town. The water tower sparked in response, the wood singeing and starting to smoke. There was a ringing in my ears as I let my hand drop limply to the ground. That was one taken care of, but I knew the chances were that he had somehow survived it.

I had made that same mistake back at the tower.

A hand shaking my shoulder grabbed my attention. I blinked slowly and saw Cloud's face, pale and frightened looking down at me. His lips were moving as he tried to say something and I narrowed my eyes in response. My body was still blocking Tifa's and I had brought the girl down to the ground with me; she was shaking. Coming to my senses, I let the girl go and tremblingly held my hand just below my hip; that was where the pain was emanating from.

"C-Cura," I stuttered. A groan escaped my lips as I felt a wave of cooling relief was over me. I could feel the spell working its way over my skin, patching up the open wound slowly. It wasn't enough though. Biting down on my tongue, I kept myself from crying out again as I forced myself to my feet.

Black dots flooded my vision; a cure spell could only help so much.

"Get out of here!" I finally shouted as my feet staggered beneath me. Cloud and Tifa hadn't moved an inch. My eyes locked onto Cloud's and I shoved his shoulder. "Take her and go! I can handle this…I can."

Cloud understanding the situation pulled Tifa to her feet and dragged her away, both of them disappearing from my sight. Leaning weight on my injured leg, I gasped as a sharp stabbing pain crept up my side; the fabric around the wound was slightly discolored, the only sign of the injury. Forcing myself forward, I ran towards the closest cover I could find which was a barrel by a low white fence.

Looking over the barrel, I did a sweeping glance of the area. My eyes automatically darted back to the water tower when I noticed something: a cracked pair of goggles had been tossed to the ground.

"Great…"I mumbled. "I messed up again."

A shrill whistle pierced through the air. The not so dead soldier was calling for reinforcements, no doubt and without any of my own I was screwed. Bawling up my fingers, I slammed my fist into the ground. Was this always going to happen to me? Outnumbered and alone all the time, stuck in a crappy situation?

The ground started shaking again and I braced myself up against the barrel; monsters from the mountainside began rushing through the town, mindlessly crashing through carts and scampering over the low fences, all in a frenzied hurry. They were trying to outrun something and were too panicked to even notice me.

It was mass confusion.

As if to prove me wrong a Nibel wolf spotted me, halting in its tracks and staring me down with beady black eyes. Gnashing its teeth, it barreled at me and I threw a fireball in response. I rolled out of the way right as another wolf plowed through the barrel just barely missing the swipe of its paws.

"Thundaga!"

A jolt of electricity jumped between the two forms, but I turned away from them quickly. Now that my cover was blown, more and more of the monsters started noticing my presence. Cursing under my breath, I cast another cure spell on the wound in my leg. Rushing forward, I leaped over what looked like a giant bug, finishing it off with a blast of fire.

"Come on, I can do this!" I berated myself.

Six down.

Now ten of them.

But it was becoming harder and harder to move without something lashing out at me. Alternating between casting cure on myself and throwing out an elemental attack, I began to feel a strain of fatigue in the back of my mind. As long as I was using the materia and not my own magic, the cure spell would work and my eyes would be fine; they would remain the same crimson color they were. On the other hand, using the materia was starting to wear on me fast.

And yet the possibility was too great that somebody could see me.

I really missed my sunglasses right about now.

"Behind you!"

I whirled around just in time to see a bright orange flash heading straight for me; I wasn't going to be able to react in time. Throwing up a hand in defense, I saw another blur lashing out at the bomb.

"Cloud Strife, what the hell do you think you're doing!" I shouted in alarm.

I felt a spark of anger rise up inside of me; the blond boy had returned on his own and pulling one of the dumbest moves I could think of. His back was towards me and in his hands was an old rusty looking sword with which he was using to fend off the bomb. He didn't listen to me.

"Gravity!" I barked. A black field enveloped the bomb, pulling it downwards. Cloud didn't waste any time in slashing it through. Lowering the sword in his hands, the boy was trembling slightly; he didn't have the faintest clue what he was doing.

"Why did you come back?!" I demanded as I hurled another fireball behind me. "Do you have any idea how stupid—"

"I can't just sit by and do nothing." He retorted. Without looking at me, he clumsily lunged forward at another wolf, trying to fight it off. Raising my hand, I stopped short of helping him out and instead watched curiously as he attacked the Nibel wolf. Despite what I actually thought possible, young Cloud was capable of wielding a sword—granted that he didn't seem to know how to use it, but he moved with speed.

It was a lot better than my swordsmanship, I'll admit that. But then how was it that he never actually made it to SOLDIER?

The wolf fell to the ground, slowly dissipating in a green light as more monsters began to surround us; we were going to have to fight our way out and scolding the reckless blond wasn't going to solve anything. An unspoken agreement seemed to go between us and we moved simultaneously.

And then something happened that I least expected; a voice that I had heard only in my dreams had spoken up above all the chaos.

"And so this is what pulled me from the front lines?"

I felt my blood run cold as my body froze in place. This was the 'reinforcements' Tseng was talking about?

"Be still then."

My breath hitched and I spun around in time to see a blinding flash of silver cutting past my vision. The noise of the monsters rampaging around had disappeared and the town of Nibelheim was engulfed in a haze of green; the only way I could describe it was that they had been cut down in a single strike.

"Nothing more than a paralyzed beast. You are no warrior."

The air cleared and in the center of the town, I finally saw him: Sephiroth himself, the one winged angel, was standing in the middle of Nibelheim. One of the most overpowered enemies of any game, the one who nearly tore Gaia apart—the mentally insane Sephiroth.

Masamune was held firmly in his left hand, still poised from his final strike; the blade itself reflected the sunlight, hardly hiding the fact that it was easily over six feet long. At his feet, the body of the soldier lay in a pool of his own blood.

It was all over in nearly a second.

* * *

...

I held my PHS and listened to the ringing.

I was trying to reach Tseng, one of the few contacts in my phone, all while leaning up against a wall for support. The adrenaline in my system was starting to wear off and my body was feeling increasingly heavy. My eyes were starting to water too as the pain was returning.

The cure spell wasn't that effective.

Only a few minutes later, any remaining monsters roaming around had been dealt with. In that time, other infantrymen had shown up to help. Some of the townspeople saw fit to stick their heads out the door to take in the aftermath of the attack. Meanwhile Sephiroth was silent and observing. Of all the people that could have been sent it _had_ to be him. And if he even set foot inside the mansion I had the feeling that we would all be doomed.

But he wasn't that powerful yet.

He couldn't have been.

The Sephiroth that was here now was at least ten years younger than in the game, right?

"_The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please—_"

I disconnected the call and took a deep breath. None of the other Turks were responding to my calls. Either they were out of range or something else had happened to them. Overhead, another helicopter landed somewhere outside the town. It looked like this was forming into a full-scale military operation right now.

There was no way any of this could be kept on the down low.

"Was it Wutai?" Cloud finally asked. As soon as Sephiroth had shown up, he had gone silent. Sticking close to me, he kept a respectable distance and I didn't know if he was awestruck by the man's presence or he was dazed from what had happened. I saw his mother looking for him, but as soon as she saw him standing beside me she knew he was safe.

"I don't know, but they were targeting Nibelheim." I lied smoothly. Turning to him, I scowled. "And don't ever pull a stunt like this again. Save it for someone who really matters to you and not some stranger."

Cloud shrank back slightly and I softened my expression; he was still a young kid after all.

"Thanks though."

Reluctantly getting up from against the wall, I steadied myself before trying to limp forward. I cringed with the pain, but began to start walking all the same. I needed to get to Sephiroth. If Tseng and Veld were out of the picture, I had to do something to help them out; the Shinra infantrymen—our reinforcements—were here and not at the mansion and I was starting to worry what was happening.

"Are you going to be okay?" Cloud asked in concern.

"I'll be fine. Just return home now, okay?"

Brushing past him, I set my eyes on the silver-haired general as he spoke to two infantrymen. As I moved, I tried to cast cure once again and stood a little taller as I approached; I was running low on energy and felt that soon I wasn't going to be of much use, not with a bullet in my leg. Sensing my approach, Sephiroth turned around and his green eyes flickered in my direction. He started walking towards me, meeting me halfway.

"You are with the investigation sector. Where are your superiors?" He asked in a calculated tone.

"That's what I'm over here for, General." I said addressing him by his title. "We need to get to the mansion and fast. I don't know what has happened, but they aren't responding to any of my calls."

"The mansion? Well then, I've already sent a squad ahead for reconnaissance. You are to accompany us there. Unless…" His eyes glanced down at the small tear on my black pants and the deep red color underneath.

"Not the time for that. Their lives could be at stake." I said as calmly as possible

I really hoped that they were fine.

"General Sephiroth, Sir!" A panicked voice called. I turned to see a SOLDIER this time, one with pale blond hair running towards us. He wore the standard issue uniform with a sword at his side. "The mansion—it's been set ablaze!"

What?

In response, I glanced up at the sky. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but looming over the direction of the mansion was a massive black cloud of smoke. How did I miss that earlier?

"Move out!" Sephiroth commanded sharply.

* * *

...

I would have laughed had I not been in so much pain.

I would have laughed if our lives weren't in danger.

The old Shinra Mansion was on fire, burning away some of my worries with it. It was all rather ironic and I secretly hoped that maybe, just maybe, professor Hojo was caught up in all of that. But I had my doubts. The flames from the mansion were casting a haunting glow upon the dull colored mountains towering around us.

Infantrymen were already trying to put out the fire, but I didn't pay attention to them. No, my eyes were locked onto a figure sitting on the ground holding his head. Kneeling beside him was who appeared to be a medic with a small kit beside him.

"Reno?" I said recognizing the Turk.

"Your mission is done here." Sephiroth announced.

Glancing at him quickly, I then turned away and hobbled over to where the red head was and slowly sat down beside him. Tentatively I grabbed his shoulder. He looked worse for wear, his shirt was even more of a mess than before and his suit was torn up. When he moved his hand out of his face, I could see crusted up blood on the side of his face trailing down from his hairline.

"Talk about a mission gone wrong, eh?" He joked hoarsely. "Now this guy won't get off my tail."

"Could you give us a minute?" I said glancing over at the medic. The medic merely shrugged his shoulders before turning around and leaving us alone. "Where are they?" I finally asked.

"Rude's somewhere. And I know Tseng and Veld around too, yo." He mumbled incoherently. "Ya look like a train wreck."

"Gee, thanks. Not half bad yourself."

Reno muttered something else before laying out flat on the ground, keeping his eyes covered.

"Hey, you can't go to sleep Reno. I have a feeling you got a nasty concussion."

"Ugh…Tell me somethin' I don't know—oh, hey look at the sparkles." He said pointing up at nothing. I shook my head; Reno was completely out of it, and I doubted that he was capable of telling me anything more. Motioning to the medic, he came back over and once more set to work on Reno

In the distance I heard the sound of gunfire and I looked up at the smoking structure.

So I was finally seeing the actual results of my presence at last; and there I was originally thinking that it was remotely possible for me to keep things the way they were supposed to go. I uncovered a new enemy, Sephiroth came to Nibelheim early, and the Shinra Mansion was up in flames. This whole situation couldn't have been a bigger slap of reality.

But I managed to do something right.

Everyone was alive despite the whole ordeal. I had helped protect a small town, Reno and Rude were fine, and Sephiroth wasn't a madman surprisingly. Perhaps this was Gaia's way of showing me how things would be, letting me know what to expect in the coming future. And it certainly was looking like a rollercoaster.

"And that's done." The medic announced. Reno was lying still on the ground; breathing but not speaking. The medic had what I guessed was a cure materia in his hand along with bandages in the small kit beside him. Turning to me, he seemed to appraise my condition, zeroing in on my leg.

"Can you bend your leg slightly?" He asked pressing a hand down on my other leg.

Nodding my head, I tried to move my leg only to grimace at the resulting pain.

"No…" I said with a wince. "Can't you just cast cure on it? That worked earlier."

"Depends," he said thoughtfully. "The bullet you were shot with cut through the bone, but did you take it out?"

"No…?"

I could feel the man's eyes boring into me from underneath his helmet. That was a bad sign. "Then I'm afraid there isn't much I can do with the tools I have on hand."

"Well that's peachy." I said sourly. "You can't just yank it out?

"Not with the level of materia I have."

"Then how about one of mine?" I asked pulling my jacket sleeve back, revealing my armlet. "This one here is a Cura, would that work?"

"A Turk that specializes in materia?" He noted curiously. The medic then shook his head and sighed. "That one is still too weak. We need a level 3 spell or higher, even then we still can't get that bullet out, so until then you'll have to sit tight."

"Perhaps I can help?" a deep voice spoke up.

"General Sephiroth?" The medic asked in surprise.

"It is possible to remove a bullet. The armlet wrapped around your forearm, does it have a gravity materia?" Sephiroth asked.

I almost wanted to raise an eyebrow at his question.

"By some lucky chance I do." I answered almost suspiciously. "What do you need it for?"

"Materia have many different purposes. Bending its power in the right way can result in numerous outcomes." Sephiroth said plainly.

"I have heard that gravity materia can be used for magnetizing things, but…" The medic trailed off in thought. "I've never actually learned that method before."

"The Wutaians are the ones who developed that technique. Their land is where gravity materia are abundant after all." Sephiroth answered as if it was common knowledge. "I'll handle it from here. Go rejoin your squad; this operation is at an end and it is time that we withdrew."

"Uh, yes Sir!" The medic stuttered out. Jumping to his feet the young man darted away.

"Here." I said taking the materia out of its slot. Without saying a word Sephiroth took it from my hand. "So, uh…"

As soon as I said something, he paused and looked down at me. I tried not to shrink back underneath the gaze of his eerily green eyes and all of a sudden I felt stupid for trying to speak up in the first place.

"This isn't going to go well, is it?" I asked quietly. "With how numbed up my leg is from casting cure spells, it's gonna hurt. A lot."

"Most likely." He agreed.

"And you learned the technique from Wutaians?"

"A friend of mine reverse engineered it. Now don't move."

"Oh this is going—"

And I blacked out.

That was some way to end my first mission.

* * *

...

Author's note: And so ends Sibyl's first real mission! She finally gets to see some of the impact her presence has and has finally run into the great general Sephiroth. I feel like this chapter was pretty dicey; a lot of things happened that are paving the way for things to come. In the next chapter we finally get the name of the Shinra's new enemy, but I won't spoil it for now. I will say that I have gotten started on that chapter too.

Thanks to all of my readers out there for all of your patience! Writing and doing classes at the same time is pretty challenging and I appreciate your understanding. Any thoughts, comments, or questions? Feel free to leave a review and let me know!

Until next time,

~BlueCampanula


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen: Dealing with the Aftermath**

* * *

...

There was bright light filtering down from the stained glass windows above.

That was the first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes.

Instead of lying on the cold ground in front of the Shinra mansion, I sat on a sturdy wooden bench that was a polished dark cherry wood. Mindlessly I traced my fingers over the smooth surface as I brought my eyes up to look around. I had no idea where I was and I couldn't remember how I got there.

There were rows of benches lining the space I was in, both behind me and in front. The air smelled of old books too. My eyes gazed up at the colorful designs on the window as I finally realized that I wasn't alone. There were other people and I looked at them curiously. I wasn't really sure that I knew any of them at all, but there we all were sitting in a church.

It wasn't Aerith's church though. No, the light from the window told a different story and the way the people around me were dressed was odd.

They were all in black.

Straining my eyes, I tried to look further up the aisles of benches towards the heart of the chapel. There three of the people were seemingly gathered though I couldn't see who they were. The whole scene was oddly familiar though as if it was something I had forgotten about. It was a setting for a funeral, but there was not a coffin in sight. There was only a picture.

"It's terrible, isn't it?" A voice spoke up beside me.

I reluctantly turned away from the three people to see who it was that spoke. Sitting beside me was a beautiful woman with the longest brown hair I had ever seen. She too was dressed in black like everyone else there. Her green eyes sparkled with warmth but held a certain sadness to them. And I felt like I knew who this woman was.

Just as I opened my mouth to ask her my question, she continued speaking.

"There's no need to be sad though. With time they'll be able to move past it. That's one of the unique traits of humanity; no matter what hardships they go through, they always find a way to fight back and become stronger, don't you think?"

"But who died?" I asked finding my voice. A flash of bright light engulfed the chapel, blinding me instantly. Shielding my eyes, I waited in silence with my heart thumping.

Pulling my hands down from my eyes I was met by a white world and I suddenly realized that not a single noise could be heard. The chapel itself was completely gone. The only thing in the empty space was a tree in the distance, one swaying with the pulse of an unfelt breeze. It was a tall and graceful tree with ashen bark and sparkling pale green leaves.

Someone was standing underneath it, but I couldn't see who it was.

Stepping forward, I reached out a hand and tried calling out to the person. When I opened my mouth however, I couldn't hear my own voice. I hesitated and tried again, but my voice didn't exist. My eyes flickered back over to the person and a feeling welled up within me; I knew that I needed to get to that person. Ever so slowly I began walking over towards the figure.

Correction: I tried.

With every step I took, the tree and the person standing beneath it moved the same distance. And then I started to run, panic welling up into my chest. Tears were burning in my eyes as I tried to get the person's attention, but to no avail. Eventually I stopped running and simply watched the figure from a distance.

It was frustrating.

It was aggravating.

But why was it important to me?

Falling to my knees, I called out once more with all my might. That was when something I least expected happened; the figure reacted to my presence. Perking up, I looked at the figure hopefully as it slowly began to turn around. But just as I was finally about to see a face, the figure disappeared in a haze; gone without a single trace.

My eyes widened.

And then all that was left were pitch black feathers falling softly from the sky.

Extending the palm of my hand, I tried grabbing on to one only to have it fade right through my skin.

It was as if I didn't exist.

I jolted when I felt sharp, cool metal press against the side of my neck.

* * *

…

I inhaled sharply and sat up straight, my leg throbbing in response.

Dreams like that never did me any good.

Where was I again?

Eyes scanning over my surroundings, I quickly drew to the conclusion that I wasn't in Nibelheim anymore. Instead of the blue skies and brown mountain range, I saw white walls and white tile floors and instead of the smell of charred wood and smoldering ashes I smelled antiseptics. I was lying down in a bed dressed in an outfit that was as equally white.

I was in a hospital.

And there was a needle stuck in my arm.

Jerking a little, I threw my legs over the side of the bed and went to stand, pulling the needle from my arm. That was a mistake in itself; instead of landing firmly on my two feet, I ended up clinging to the tiny nightstand for support, nearly knocking over what looked like a small pouch of IV fluids. My leg felt like it was on fire. A small clinking noise met my ears, however, and glancing at the tiny table revealed my armlet and all of the materia placed in a small box. Beside the box was my PHS too.

"Quit makin' such a ruckus. You're givin' me a headache, yo." A voice murmured.

"Reno?" I asked reaching out and pulling on the curtain that was beside my bed. And sure enough, the red headed Turk was revealed to be on the other side with a pillow shoved over his face and the blankets halfway fallen on the floor. "Oh. It is you."

"Who else?" He mumbled back, hugging the pillow over his face tighter.

I was right about the concussion.

"Ya really do hate doctors if you're reactin' like this."

"I'd say I'm not the only one then." I said giving him a scrutinizing look. "Hey, if we're in here then where is everybody else? Tseng and Veld? Oh, and what about Rude?"

"Over here."

The sound of another curtain rustling behind me grabbed my attention. Sitting back down on the thin mattress I turned around and saw Rude sitting as calm as ever on the edge of his bed and fully suited too. The only noticeable difference in his attire was the faint appearance of white bandages winding around his left hand that disappeared up his sleeve.

"Hey, how long have we been in here?"

"A little over two hours."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn't been out for too long.

Rude slowly got up from his bed and adjusted his suit before starting to head towards what looked like the exit. "Where are you going?"

"Meeting." He replied.

"Tseng was in here earlier. Said somethin' about important meeting." Reno tried filling in.

"Is it about Nibelheim? They're deciding on something, aren't they?" That was what my gut was telling me. One of the towns under Shinra's protection was attacked and there were plenty of witnesses. It was so bad that they had to have reinforcements called in, but thankfully none of the townspeople were hurt…At least, none that I knew of.

Rude nodded.

"Hold up a second then." I said trying to stand up again. "I'm coming too. There's no way I'm missing this."

"Rude you can go on ahead." Tseng's voice came across the room. "Lasko will need some time."

"I'm not allowed to go?" I said almost pathetically. Turning to look, I saw the man standing in the doorway. His suit looked as immaculate as ever and he looked as if nothing had happened to him.

"On the contrary, President Shinra said that he wanted all of us to attend—within reason of course." Tseng said shooting a glance at Reno. "And you'll be needing proper attire as well."

The Turk dropped a small bundle of clothing next to me as Rude made his way out the door.

"I'll leave you to get dressed. In the mean time I'll talk to a nurse to find you a pair of crutches, but you will have to return here afterwards."

"By any chance, they didn't stick me with any needles, did they?" I asked.

"You mean other than the IV you carelessly ripped out?"

"I'll take that as a no then?"

Shaking his head, Tseng walked out into the hallway and inwardly I felt relieved. I pulled the curtains closed again and began removing the scratchy hospital clothes. Moving to pick up the shirt, I found my red ribbon lying on the top of the pile; it had been cleaned. I put it aside before tying it back in its rightful place after slipping on the short-sleeved white dress shirt Tseng brought.

The pants were the difficult part, however.

Wincing in pain, I struggled to pull the dark fabric over my bad leg. Moving my leg even a little hurt like hell, and bending forward ached. It was probably better than before though. At least now I didn't have to worry about a bullet being lodged in my leg. It made me wonder just how much damage it caused.

My fingers hesitated on the top button of my shirt.

I had just seen a lot of things happen in the past twenty four hours that had absolutely nothing in common with the game; that was a giant can of worms that exploded in my face. What was the aftermath going to be like?

"Are your ready yet?" Tseng's voice came from behind the curtain. Reno mumbled again.

"Yeah," I said slowly standing on my feet and yanking the curtain aside once more. Tseng was waiting patiently and handed a pair of bulky looking crutches to me. Staring at them funny, I accepted them and uncomfortably wedged them underneath my arms and tried walking with them.

"You've never used these before?" Tseng asked in criticism as soon as I made it out into the hallway.

"No." I shot back impatiently. "So what's going to happen? What sort of meeting is it?"

"One of high confidentiality, Lasko. The only reason we are being invited is because of our involvement. Unless the information is made public, you are not to mention a word of it."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Which article was it? Section twenty three of the Investigation Sector Guidelines?" I asked in thought. "Protection and secrecy of the company's affairs are the highest priority."

I was a book worm to the core and I was surprising myself that I even remembered that.

"Yes. And another thing: don't speak unless you are addressed directly. Are we clear?"

"You got it."

* * *

…

"A top secret laboratory facility destroyed, damage done to the structural soundness of Mount Nibel, people threatening unrest, five unidentified enemy soldiers dead, and countless experimental records destroyed." Veld stated in a monotone voice.

Leaving the hospital wing, Tseng led me back to Shinra's main building. After a long elevator ride up, much to my dismay, I found myself standing outside of one of the nicest conference rooms I had ever seen. The center of the room was dominated by a long industrial table which was surrounded by elegant chairs. The walls were framed by several columns and its cream color sharply contrasted against the dark maroon colored carpet.

When we had arrived, there were already others gathered, and if I didn't know any better I would have thought it was a small party with the way the people were dressed. Veld was the first face I recognized sitting at the table. Towards the far end sat a bodacious looking blonde woman in a stunning red dress. My mind automatically identified her as Scarlet, the head of Weapons Development. Across from her sat the head of Public Safety known as Heidegger; a portly man in a green suit.

Already I felt like I was walking into an ambush.

Director Lazard was there as well in his pinstriped suit, and upon seeing me he gave me a curt nod, a flash of recognition showing in his eyes. Beside him however was another blond I wasn't too keen on seeing again: Rufus Shinra, the company's current vice president. He hadn't noticed me yet, something that I was grateful for. But as soon as I managed to enter the room, the clicking of my crutches against the ground reverberated off of the walls quickly drawing attention.

Rufus glanced at me briefly before a cold and almost mocking smile graced his lips. Brushing off the stares, I quickly made my way over to the chair next to Rude, but it wasn't far enough away from the younger Shinra executive; he was still sitting across from me, but there were no other seats as Tseng decided to take up the seat next to Veld.

The meeting started a few minutes later with the entrance of President Shinra himself who was followed closely by Hojo. The scientist was definitely in an unpleasant mood; his appearance was slightly disheveled and it made me wonder what had happened to him in the past few hours. 'Not enough,' my mind answered. And just like that, the meeting had begun with Veld not wasting one moment.

"And they have left us with a name this time." he continued. "Avalanche."

The room was quiet for a moment before anyone spoke.

"Kya ha ha! Those pests stole my weapons earlier this year? It seems that your division isn't performing effectively, _Veld_." Scarlet stated boldly as she leaned back into her chair. "I would have expected that any trace of it was already blown sky high, yet they are currently waltzing around—and with a name."

"Ah but you forget, Scarlet, that it is because of a mistake made by your department that people in mine have to clean up after." Heidegger shot back. The two executives began bickering at each other. My eyes darted over to Veld and I frowned as the name he mentioned registered in my mind.

Avalanche?

The terrorist group was who we were going up against? But I thought that they were a small group, not to mention Barret was the one who formed it in the first place and that wasn't supposed to happen for a while. I was definitely confused now. Crossing my arms I sat back in the chair.

"I strongly suggest that we focus on the situation at hand." Veld interjected smoothly. I held back a snicker and my lips twisted into an odd frown; Scarlet looked miffed by Veld's words.

"What are you suggesting, Veld? Do we need to call in for another cover up? Another town to destroy?" Heidegger jested.

"I don't believe that is necessary." Lazard spoke up pleasantly. "Based off of the reports I have received from my men, the situation at Nibelheim is readily under control. In fact, there is plenty of leeway for a simple explanation. Wutai attempted to lead an assault within our borders only to be turned back by the great General Sephiroth." He assessed smartly.

"And the damage sustained at the mako reactor is minor; easily fixed." A dark haired man commented.

I had to do a double take of the man that spoke before I realized that it was a younger Reeve Tuesti sitting at the table with us. I didn't recognize him at first because of the lack of facial hair on his chin, but the suit and the black hair was enough of a hint.

"There is still other minor damage that requires coverage." President Shinra said stroking his mustache. "Never the less I expect each and every one of your departments in top shape. We will continue our primary focus with Wutai and in the meantime lend resources to fix what was lost at Nibelheim."

"Moving that aside, what is it that you want done about the soldiers?" Veld questioned.

"Hmph." Professor Hojo scoffed. "Those indignant experiments are only a mockery of the mako infused SOLDIER. Before the specimen was destroyed, I recorded data from several tests. The method used to create them is ineffective and results in the subjects cells eventually collapsing in on themselves."

I bit the inside of my cheek.

For some reason it sounded like he was talking about degradation.

Brushing that fact aside, whatever Hojo was basing his judgment off of was wrong. The soldiers that I fought against weren't to be taken lightly. The thing that set off a warning sign in my mind was how easily the other soldier I had shot down had recovered from bullet and even magic inflicted wounds. The one that Hojo cut up was already a corpse by the time he arrived and from what I saw the wounds on that soldier's body remained there.

No.

That wasn't any of my concern though.

"Then what shall our method of approach be with Avalanche?" Veld asked President Shinra.

"I believe it to be an easy matter to take care of. Our main focus however shall remain with the war in Wutai. I'll leave it up to your discretion how to handle it, Heidegger."

"And it'll be dealt with…all in good time, Gya ha ha!"

Remaining silent, I couldn't help but frown.

Were these people serious? It wasn't like I was rooting for them to win, but how overconfident did you have to be to brush aside a threat so easily? The odds were that this Avalanche group did exist before Barret's group—entirely possible—and maybe, just maybe, it served as an influence too.

"And what seems to be the problem with you?" A familiar voice sneered. I looked up from the table to see Rufus staring at me again with an amused smirk on his face. I could feel everybody else around the table looking at me now.

I swallowed.

"Absolutely nothing." I responded surely.

"Gya ha ha! The girl's relatively new, isn't she?" Heidegger laughed at my response, causing me to cringe slightly.

His laugh was annoying.

"The Shinra Company has a significantly higher level of technology which is more than enough to deal with both." Scarlet added boastfully before shooting a glare at Heidegger. "Even if certain executives are severely lacking."

"Wonderful. Now that this has been put behind us, we shall carry out the decisions as discussed. My secretary will send out detailed information on what else needs to be covered. In the meantime, you are all dismissed." President Shinra announced.

On command, Veld and Tseng were on their feet and began moving towards the door. Rude waited for me to get up and grab my crutches before leading the way out. That whole entire meeting was shorter than I expected, and I wasn't exactly satisfied by the results. Filing into the elevator, the doors shut before a word was spoken among the four of us.

"This matter won't be so easily resolved with the terrorist group. Knowing Heidegger he won't even think about it until a month from now." Tseng said first.

"I know, Tseng." Veld answered in agreement. "For now we will have to deal with it in our own way, and as such I'll need you to make a few calls. We need to gather intel against them first and keep a watchful eye."

"So I was right, wasn't I? They're downplaying the enemy." I spoke up.

"While that might not always be the case, it is still our duty to track down threats to Shinra regardless of the circumstances. However to answer your question, we have had prior…incidents that might be tied to the group. You actually had to capture an informant not too long ago." Tseng replied.

"Lysander?" I asked perking up.

"Correct."

I opened my mouth to say more, but I hesitated and instead thought quietly to myself. I had almost forgotten the single detail that Rufus Shinra had been with the man the night before he was apprehended. Nobody else knew that it was Rufus except for me; I never even mentioned a word about it to Tseng during my debriefing. Was it possible that he was responsible for trading information?

"Hey have you guys ever considered that Lysander wasn't working alone?" I then asked.

Tseng went quiet for a moment while Veld listened closely.

"All things considered, there wasn't any evidence of him working with an accomplice. And any activity since his arrest has been nonexistent." Tseng responded surely.

"Leave the details to us, Sibyl. For now you're going to be out of commission for a while with the injury you sustained." Veld cut in. "And Rude, I'll need you to do some reconnaissance beginning tomorrow."

"Right." The silent Turk answered.

I honestly almost forgot he was there.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened.

"I'll be expecting the mission report on my desk by Monday morning. You all are dismissed for today." Veld announced stepping out.

* * *

…

Cure magic did not work in the way I would have expected it to.

In the games casting cure restored a player's heath plain and simple, but in reality it was different and more specific. Cuts and scrapes it could take care of no problem. Tear in fabric? Oddly enough it could fix that too, something that could also explain many other questions. Something it could not do, however, was restore lost blood. And when it came to healing bones, cure became even more finicky.

It could temporarily mend the bone, provided that some downtime was given to allow the cracks or fragments to fuse back together; maybe an hour or two. A foreign object such as a bullet being lodged in the wound made the process even slower. Any excess motion in the healing period and the injury could be made a lot worse, especially depending on where the fracture was.

Case and point what I did.

It took the nurse in the infirmary a matter of seconds to explain that to me and for me to realize what I did wrong. To keep it simple, it meant that the bone in my leg wasn't going to heal anytime soon. Turns out that constantly casting cure did absolutely nothing for me and it only aggravated things more. Now I was going to be stuck using a cane and limited to 'light' activities for however long it took.

All because of that I was going to be out of commission for a few weeks.

Why me?

But it did give me plenty of time to consider what Veld had suggested.

"So lemme get this straight—ya completely ignored using the shotgun during a life or death fight, _and_ ya played hero to protect a stranger from a sniper rifle of all things?! Your priorities aren't right, yo!" Reno said disdainfully. "Any person who puts their life on the line like that is—"

"—Is a fool. I know, I know." I said rolling my eyes. For the time being, I was also stuck keeping Reno company. The next morning, the nurse decided to run some physical tests to better evaluate my condition. Reluctantly, I complied. Eventually after jotting down a few notes and making a few remarks, the nurse left to help tend to the other patients in another area. Not long after that, Reno began to stir a bit more and somehow found the energy to scold me.

That was kind of funny, considering that it was from Reno.

"So how's it feel to play hero? Hurts, don't it?"

"Hey, quit saying that." I mumbled in protest. "Besides, playing the hero is more of Genesis's thing."

"And speaking of whom, he's going to give you an ear full when he returns from the front." A voice interrupted.

"Angeal?!" I said perking up.

Glancing over to the doorway, I watched as the black haired SOLDIER strode calmly into the room. Even with his enhanced hearing, I was surprised that Angeal could tell what I was mumbling under my breath. Absent from his figure was the Buster sword, but he still wore his usual uniform. He stopped at the foot of my bed and crossed his arms, clearly looking displeased.

I smiled up at him nervously.

"Did you just get back from the front? Reno here was starting to drive me nuts—Please don't tell me you've come to nag at me too." I spat out quickly.

"Hey!" Reno said defensively.

"Relax, Sib. I came here to check up on you. Gen called me yesterday saying something was wrong. Sure enough, I come back to find that there was a failed assault made by Wutai and you just so happen to be in a hospital bed."

I nodded my head in contemplation. My mind distantly wondered what the SOLDIERs and infantrymen that showed up were told. Were they kept in the dark? Or did they know who they were fighting against?

"Wait, Genesis called you?" I asked in thought. "But he's still out over there, so how the heck would he know?"

"You know, I asked him the same thing. He mentioned something odd about a moogle before he had to hang up." Angeal answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "Do you happen to know anything about that?"

Reno started laughing and I groaned internally.

Mog.

Mog was the one who told him? How?

My eyes narrowed as an image popped into my head of a frantic moogle popping into existence beside Genesis and scaring people half to death. I wondered how long it took for Genesis to figure out that something had bad had happened…Probably not long; he spent most of his time dissecting a single poem after all.

That also explained why the moogle wasn't around.

Traitor.

"I'm doomed." I said glumly as I hung my head. Cissnei had mentioned something before about how strict Genesis was with those under his command, and if he saw fit to call Angeal about this I began to wonder what he was going to do when he got back. There was a feeling in my gut that unlike the last few times I had gotten in trouble he wasn't going to let this one slide.

"Hey, it's not so bad. It's Genesis we're talking about." Angeal reassured.

Reno snorted.

"Anyways," Angeal continued, "What exactly happened out there?"

"Well, the town was attacked. It's as simple as that." I explained. "The only sign we really had was that someone was spotted around the mako reactor and then the next thing you know explosions were ripping through the mountains and monsters began swarming."

"Tricky bastards." Reno muttered distastefully.

"All that aside, our reinforcements showed up and nobody was hurt…well, except for us of course. I haven't exactly seen anybody else in here with us that I know of. Oh, and on top of that I won't be taking any missions for a while; not till I get healed up." I said motioning to my leg.

Angeal raised an eyebrow in question.

"She jumped in front of a sniper, yo. Not exactly somethin' a Turk would do." Reno quipped before I could say anything.

"Hey, it was a sticky situation and I don't regret a single thing." I said adamantly, and I meant it. Tifa Lockhart's life had been in danger and, indirectly, Cloud. My body reacted faster than my mind could think, but I knew that it was the right thing to do especially when a sniper rifle packed a bigger punch than the weaker guns the Wutaians carried around.

Their survival was important.

"Is that so?" Angeal questioned. Uncrossing his arms, he shook his head before quirking a smile on his lips. "I know a few men in SOLDIER who could use that mindset. You should have considered staying in the academy."

I smiled back before my thoughts turned elsewhere.

"Hey Angeal?"

"What is it?"

"Since you're a strong member of SOLDIER, do you mind helping me get out of here? I'm sure the nurses could refuse a favor coming from you." I joked. "I know that I need to recover, but at the risk of Genesis showing up within the next day or two, I'd like to _not_ be stuck here."

Truthfully, I just didn't want to be in there period; being in the infirmary gave me the chills and I had far more things that I needed to do that couldn't be accomplished from a bed. With Angeal here, I saw a way out and I was shamelessly going to take it. Clasping my hands together, I looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"You and I both know that you are planning on leaving early regardless of whether or not I help." Angeal said slyly.

"And you and I both know that I wouldn't get far without a cane or something, so how about it?" I shot back, grinning even more.

"Give me a few minutes and I'll see if I can work something out. In the meantime try not to be too eager." Angeal finally replied as he turned to walk out the door.

I cheered in excitement, pumping my fist.

"Hey, no fair, yo!" Reno pouted.

"Well, he is one of my friends." I said happily. "Besides, the nurses here can't do much for my leg. I might as well try and do something productive. You on the other hand need to recover from that concussion."

And I did want to be back on my feet as soon as possible.

I had decisions to make and people I needed to contact. Vincent was high up on the list in my mind, but until the moogle returned I knew that reaching him was out of the question; I actually still had to ask Mog if it was within his capabilities of finding the man, so I was on my own.

I hadn't even been a month already since I joined the Turks and there was still a lot of progress that I needed to make.

* * *

…

Angeal made good on his word and managed to get me out of the infirmary. Before I left I was given a black cane to use and strict instructions of what I could and couldn't do; officially I was told that I would be recovering for about a month and until then I was off of missions. That was the least of my problems though. It actually gave me an opportunity to do some digging around, but I had no idea where to start and there were still plenty of things I had yet to understand about the Turks.

As my luck would turn out, I didn't have to wait long before Tseng contacted me and told me to report to Veld's office. Angeal ended up accompanying me on the elevator as far as the SOLDIER floor before leaving me to climb the rest of the way up to Veld's office.

It was the same room Tseng had been in when I first arrived.

Knocking on the door, I entered to find Veld behind his desk and Tseng standing beside one of the chairs across from the older Turk.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" I asked formally.

"Come in and sit." Veld said in his monotonous voice. I did as he said and took up the seat furthest from Tseng before he continued speaking. "Now that things have been resolved on our end I have decided that it is time we addressed a few other mattera."

"Okay." I said nodding my head hesitantly. Behind me, Tseng moved to close the door and I began to feel nervous.

Had I done something wrong?

"There is no need for concern, Sibyl." Veld said reassuring me. "This issue is involving the…recent occurrences."

"Do you mean Avalanche?" I asked with curiosity.

"That is correct." Veld said in agreement. "Yesterday you mentioned something of interest—the possibility that Lysander was not working alone. Explain why you believe that."

I tilted my head slightly.

"Well…" I began hesitantly. "To me it doesn't seem likely that he _could_ have been working alone. With a massive and powerful company like Shinra it would be difficult skirting around security without help." I wasn't about to mention Rufus Shinra's connection to the whole ordeal. That would cause more trouble than I was looking for at the moment.

But what was this really about?

"And there is sound logic behind that thought." Veld added.

"One of the nights during your assignment at the academy, the security system on one of the floors had been tampered with. This happened after you found your evidence against the former SOLDIER." Tseng said to me.

"I thought you said that there was no further activity?" I asked almost accusingly.

"The activity has been nonexistent." Tseng said correcting me. "There have been plenty of reasons to believe that there may be more accomplices working underneath the surface, though they have been quite elusive since Lysander's arrest."

"And now another factor has revealed itself—the information leak was connected to Avalanche. That much has been determined." Veld said solemnly. "That has left us with several pressing matters, one of which is how to deal with internal threats."

"Internal, as in…Within the company?" I asked uncertainly.

"In particular within SOLDIER itself." Tseng responded. "There are a few of the older generation SOLDIERs that could well be in the same mind set as Lysander, and with the ongoing war in Wutai and the looming threat of a terrorist uprising, we are finding it increasingly necessary to focus attention on their ranks."

"Okay," I said nodding my head in contemplation. "That makes perfect sense. So you are saying that the SOLDIER division needs to be more tightly supervised because of a company security risk. I could imagine that Director Lazard wouldn't be too happy hearing about this."

"This situation has already been conferred to him as of last night and we have already reached a temporary agreement." Veld announced.

"What sort of temporary agreement?" I said in question.

"A unique situation has presented itself that requires certain qualifications." Standing up from his chair, the older Turk paced behind his desk and stopped at the window. "You have already started to learn our formal protocol and have undertaken several missions with varying degrees of difficulty, two of which were overseen in my absence. After reviewing your performance, I have come to the conclusion that you would be well suited for this task."

"I'm afraid I'm not following." I said confusedly. "Are you talking about…Spying? Espionage?"

"Your assumptions are correct." Veld answered.

"Hold on, I'm really confused here. You want me to serve as an undercover operative within the company itself? Are you really certain about this? I have never done anything like that before." I said defensively.

"On the contrary, many considerations have been taken about this situation and you have shown fair aptitude for the position." Veld remarked turning back to look at me. "For quite some time we have been looking to prepare for a possible situation like this. Are you under the impression that the particular test we gave you is happenstance?"

I paused to think about it.

Remembering back to my first mission which wasn't too long ago, I had thought that it was a ridiculous test to send a newbie into—someone with zero experience even when the Turks already knew who the culprit was.

"To add to other reasoning, you have managed to slip off of the radar for nearly five years—a notable feat when considering our resources." Veld continued. "Not to mention you have shown an innate ability in catching onto things quickly and act far more mature than your age."

I nodded along with the words he was saying. The only thing was that it was my prior knowledge giving me that kind of advantage, not some act of pure genius. And the reason behind my maturity was because I actually was older than I looked, but Veld didn't know that. Nobody did aside from one single other person on the planet.

"Our other operatives are too well recognized due to previous dealings with SOLDIER and very few have received direct training in respects to espionage. You are still relatively new and widely unknown to the company as a whole which allows the perfect opportunity to suit this purpose, with proper training of course."

"So this counts out Cissnei then?"

"While Cissnei is excellent in the field, outside of the military academy she is still easily noticeable." Veld answered.

"I suppose you make a fair point then." I finally agreed. "What exactly would I be doing though?"

"Your position would be to go undercover among the ranks of SOLDIER and your mission to keep a keen eye on its members; blend in with them and seek out any possible threats or indications of suspicious dealings. You would be working closely with Director Lazard and myself while retaining your formal status as a Turk to relay information. Of course, you would be assigned a teacher and in the meantime during your recovery study the details of your assignment."

So I would possibly end up working alongside Genesis and Angeal?

I brightened at the thought before another crossed my mind.

"Wait, if I went into SOLDIER, wouldn't I have to deal with the science department as well?"

The two departments were heavily connected and being put into the position meant an unavoidable risk of being exposed by Hojo. There was no way that I could do something so dangerous—I had preservation on my mind and I still didn't plan on going anywhere near those people.

In fact, after the past few days I was done having to deal with professor Hojo for a while.

"The full details will be determined in a few minutes with Director Lazard's assistance, but as it stands interactions with the science department would be minimal due to your affiliation with the investigation sector." Veld's eyes moved to Tseng. "Go find Director Lazard. I believe we are close to finishing."

With only a nod of his head, Tseng promptly left the office, shutting the door behind him on his way out. Veld walked back over to his chair and sat down once more, resting his hands on the desk. I observed the man for a moment as his eyes flickered to the papers on his desk. Even though he had been absent for months that didn't mean that he went uninformed.

That was the power of information, something that the Turks thrived on. They played with that information like it was a game of chess and it made me wonder just what had happened to them before the original game's timeline began; they had been reduced to only a group of four people and maybe that is one of the reasons why Cloud and his friends managed to succeed in their quest.

I needed to take a page from their books and gather my own information. The ball was in my park now and before me was an opportunity to start. Going undercover in SOLDIER would allow me to figure out more about the company and maybe I would even have a better chance at finding Jenova that way. It could also allow me to discover more about the newest threat I faced—the appearance of another Avalanche group.

Technically I already knew that Rufus Shinra was involved, so that left me with even more room to move. As long as he didn't pull any blatantly obvious moves, I would technically be given free reign to gather my own information.

This was presenting me with far more opportunities than I could ignore.

"It is a lot to take in, but nothing less is expected." Veld said breaking the silence. "After the details are finalized you will receive your final briefing by as early as tomorrow. For now, you may go."

"I think I understand now." I said firmly. "This is going to be a challenge, but I won't let you down, Sir." Securing my cane, I eased my way out of the chair before heading towards the door.

This was what I had been waiting for.

"There is...One final thing I meant to bring up." Veld said, stopping me short. Turning around I looked at the man expectantly and waited for him to continue. My eyes meeting his, I realized there was a strange emotion in them, one that I couldn't quite read.

"I am well aware of the fact that you are not from the southern continent."

What?

My eyes widened slightly.

He knew?

"Of course, we have known this for quite some time." He stated as if reading my thoughts. "There were never any records on file of any Laskos living in any of the towns remotely near Banora. However, rest assured that the investigation sector has no intention of prying into the matter further. It is evident that you are of great use to the organization and your ties to some of the higher members in SOLDIER also put you at a more valuable standing."

Veld paused for a moment.

"But I have been pondering a certain question for quite some time now, if you'll humor me."

"Yes, Sir?"

"Do you know of a man named Vincent Valentine?"

I blinked.

He was asking me about Vincent?

Smothering down a smile at the mention of his name, I hummed in thought, furrowing my brow at the question. I couldn't let on any sign that I knew him. "I may have heard his name before. He was your partner a few years ago, right?"

"Are you by chance related to him?" Veld asked pointedly.

"No, I'm not."

Maybe not in the way that he was thinking. In the back of my mind I knew that this was going to happen one day. It was thanks to the mako messing with my brown eyes that they looked reddish and combined with my messy black hair and with how deathly pale I had been back then I did seem to share some similarities to Vincent in appearance.

At least now I knew that I wasn't imagining things. Someone else clearly thought the same thing. I was at least happy to note that my skin over the years had regained its healthier glow and that made me feel almost normal again.

"Ignore the ramblings of an old man," Veld said waving his hand. "You may go."

I had to remember to mention this to Vincent. I'm sure that in his own, silent and brooding way, he would appreciate this.

Not hesitating another second, I quietly opened the door and made my exit.

* * *

**Extra**

If there was one downfall of using a cane, it was the fact that it wasn't safe for me to use the stairs. I was already paranoid as could be using the elevator by myself, but when somebody's hand wedged itself between the sliding doors to stop it, I nearly had a heart attack. Reacting without a thought, I helped push the door back open and found myself looking at a familiar face.

Or at least…somewhat familiar.

"Kunsel?" I asked with an eyebrow raised. I nearly jumped again when his eyes looked at my face; they were different. Instead of the leafy green color they were before, they were a startling blue.

"Sibyl?" He responded back brightening up instantly. "Hey long time no see! I was beginning to wonder when we'd run into each other again."

"Have you…been promoted to SOLDIER already?" I asked looking at his eyes again. They were the exact same glowing color as Angeal and Genesis's eyes, but I wasn't used to seeing them on him.

"Actually, I've only recently been given mako treatments for it." He shuddered slightly. "I tell you though, the needles…Not exactly pleasant." There was more than he let on, but I didn't want to ask.

"Oh, hey if you're moving up to SOLDIER now, I guess that means we'll be seeing more of each other soon." I hinted. Simply because I wasn't well recognized didn't mean that there weren't people who knew me. No doubt that Veld already knew about Genesis and Angeal, but what about Kunsel and Zack?

I was probably going to be saddled with a helmet to cover my face, but what would stop them from recognizing my voice? It only occurred to me now that I would probably have to talk to both of them before the whole thing began.

That was going to be fun.

"Will you be flying us around?" Kunsel jested in excitement.

"Not exactly," I said considering my words. But before I could speak again, Kunsel stopped me, his eyes finally zeroing in on the cane in my hands.

"Hey…what happened to you?" He asked in concern.

"Nothing. Just a small injury is all." I said wryly. "Have you heard about what happened at Nibelheim?"

His eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"About the attack that Wutai attempted? You were there?" He said in disbelief, quickly connecting the dots. "It was all over the newspapers this morning and they said that General Sephiroth himself stepped in, preventing anything from happening! Did you get to meet him?"

I huffed at his words in disappointment. That certainly proved how fast Shinra moved with covering up information. Deep down, some part of me wanted the recognition for being the one to defend the town. But I shouldn't have expected it any other way.

"I did speak to him, but not for long." I answered trying to mask my disappointment.

I did meet Sephiroth though.

"Man, I tell you that's the only thing the cadets were talking about today. And you were there? I've got to mention this to Zack."

"You know I haven't seen Zack in a while." I noted thoughtfully. "Hey, there's something I'm going to need to talk to you guys about, but I guess that'll have to wait for now. Speaking of Zack though, how has he been? I would expect that if you're coming into the ranks of SOLDIER now, he's not far behind."

"Well, you're not too far off. Other than that, he's been the same as ever I guess, maybe even pouting that I've beaten him." Kunsel said confidently. "Both of us want to get out there as soon as possible to help with the war."

"I wouldn't expect less. I thought for sure you guys would be promoted together though." I said cheerfully.

Kunsel seemed to sober up from his excitement and his voice calmed down.

"Actually, he went pretty silent earlier when we saw the newspaper. It was weird, but he said that Nibelheim was just too similar to his hometown, or something of the sort. I'm actually starting to think that he wants to be out there even more than me at this point. You don't think that the war will reach a new level do you? I mean, you would know at least something about this, right?"

I looked at Kunsel briefly.

"Hey, this was a one-time thing." I reassured him. "Look, I can't tell you much, but I…We are doing everything possible to keep things in check, so don't think too much on it."

And I would do everything within my power to do so.

This ordeal with Avalanche and with SOLDIER, it was no doubt going to lead to something much more than I was expecting. It was too late for me to back down now, so I was going to be along for the ride.

"You guys take care of things on the front line and I'll cover things from the rear, okay?"

* * *

...

Author's Note: It took longer than expected (and it certainly ended up a lot longer than expected), but there you have it. Shinra finds itself facing a new foe as well as some of its own internal issues which the Turks will have to deal with. I even decided to include an extra at the end; it has been a little while since We've heard anything from Zack or Kunsel so I figured why not? It may or may not be hinting towards something else later on. Much more is to come next chapter including the reappearance of Genesis and maybe even Sephiroth.

I'm pretty proud of myself that I managed to finish this chapter. I've actually entered exam week, but I've finally got this out of the way. Feel free to leave a review with any thoughts or questions! Thank you so much for all of your support and encouraging words!

Until next time,

~BlueCampanula


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter twenty: A New Outlook**

* * *

"The induction ceremony will take place in less than thirty minutes. As expected, fourteen other new cadets will be joining the ranks of SOLDIER for the final end of year term. Seven were selected from the training camps based around the eastern continent, three were recruited through the Investigation Sector, and a total of four are from Shinra Company's main headquarters here in Midgar.

"Information from previous assignments and those working in conjunction with your assignments have been compiled. Contact has been made with a minimum of four current members of SOLDIER including three 1st classes and several members of the infantry who have been subsequently reassigned to new, separate posts. All in all, potential problems have been minimized for the effectiveness of your long term mission. Your name will remain the same, given these circumstances."

Veld took a small pause as he silently studied the computer screen and the binder that lay open on the table in front of him. Tseng sat quietly in a chair beside him and had been listening to every word.

"The General has already been notified and Lazard has helped with this arrangement. It will be left to your discretion how to handle those with previous affiliations, such as Commander Rhapsodos and 1st class Hewley, but I advise handling it with caution. The slightest bit of carelessness can destroy secrecy which is of utmost importance. Only until it has been determined that you have become well on your way to establishing yourself in the SOLDIER program will you be contacted and the operation will move forward."

I nodded my head gingerly and played around with the helmet that sat in my lap. A week had already gone by and the briefing for my new, undercover mission was underway. Tseng had been assigned to guide me for the most part in reviewing histories of Shinra and studying the SOLDIER program itself.

In total, SOLDIER was a very, _very_ small group. Quickly scanning over the compiled dossiers on every last one of the members revealed that there were at least if not fewer than ten 1st class SOLDIERs. Even though all of them were high ranking in their own rights, the only names I actually recognized were the ones I had known about already: Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal.

Pondering it off the top of my head, I estimated that there were roughly between one hundred and one hundred and sixty people enlisted in SOLDIER. The program was…rough, in other words. During one of our meetings, Tseng had even mentioned how frequently people pulled out of the program after being ranked 3rd class for less than a year.

Those who didn't make the cut were automatically enrolled with the infantry division. In contrast, the list of names in the infantry division's roster was seemingly endless.

Women, as it turned out, had a harder time staying with the SOLDIER program.

That was something I immediately took note of.

"Officially you are tasked with the monitoring of the SOLDIER program and to seek out suspicious activity while maintaining your position undercover. And Lasko," Veld said grabbing my attention. "In addition to meeting with SOLDIER's standards of inspection, you will be required to submit reports to record the progress of your assignment, but, as I mentioned, the dates for said reports will be discussed when you resume communication with the sector."

"If you have any further questions," Veld said with a wave of his hand to Tseng. "Tseng can fill you in. For now I suggest you report to the meeting hall."

Without saying a word, Tseng rose from his chair and walked out of the room. I scrambled out of my own chair to keep up and gave Veld a short nod before heading out the door, the brace around my leg clicking slightly as I went.

There was a single question that I started to wonder about.

Was I getting too far in over my own head?

I wasn't entirely sure.

There I was, about to attend a welcoming ceremony for new military recruits. And it was for SOLDIER, none the less. In order to remain in its ranks, I was going to have to work my ass off to pass inspections and with my lack of swordsmanship that was going to be a challenge. On top of that, I wasn't just going to be left wandering around on my own free will without the rest of the Investigation Sector hanging behind my back. That was something I should have foreseen. Now I had to actively search for company traitors and feed in reports on my progress, otherwise I'd probably be pulled out.

The preparations for the entire thing had been crazy too. While I wasn't exactly running around, I had to memorize a lot of things. And after the first day that Veld and Director Lazard began collaborating on the mission details, I wasn't really allowed to go anywhere except for the Turk's floor. My PHS too had been taken as precaution.

I didn't get to speak to Angeal and I certainly had no idea where Genesis was. And, as expected, there was no sign of the moogle showing up anytime soon either which meant that my hopes of contacting Vincent through him had to be put on the shelf for now.

"You may want to put on the helmet." Tseng addressed keeping his gaze in front of him.

I broke out of my inner musing. Without having to be told twice, I placed the bulky helmet over my head, pulling the metal visor down over my eyes.

"I feel like it's too early for nostalgia." I joked to myself.

The uniform I wore had a similar feel to the cadet's uniform from the academy, but was a lot more complex in appearance. What I donned now was the light blue combat fatigues of a SOLDIER 3rd class. The pants were loose and baggy on my frame held up by a series of wide belts. My shoulders were exposed with the thick, sleeveless turtle neck shirt I wore and my feet were weighed down by thick rubber boots. Adding the helmet to the mix and I looked almost unrecognizable.

"How is the brace holding up underneath your equipment?" Tseng inquired as I fell into stride with him.

"Second day of wearing it and it seems to be working fine. Other than the slight squeaking noise, you can hardly tell that it's there." I responded thoughtfully.

After a week of complete rest and constant treatment, the wound in my leg was improving by leaps and bounds. While I was still limited to light movement, I felt as if I could do anything at the moment. I was especially thankful to one of Shinra's physical therapists who suggested the brace in the first place. It was rather unusual in shape compared to any other braces I had seen and, after some minor modifications, it could fit almost undetected underneath the baggy SOLDIER pants.

"Good."

"So how long will it be until you guys reach out to me?" I asked.

"However long it takes you to get adjusted to your new routine in SOLDIER." Tseng responded easily. "Your main focus as of now is on getting past inspections in one piece. Failure to do that and you will be removed from the program, something that we as the Investigation Sector can't have a hand in."

That meant that I was on my own for being successful in the SOLDIER program. I needed keep my own head above water if I wanted to go far enough to locate Jenova.

"You are well aware that this mission isn't short term."

"Yeah, I know that," I agreed. "What I'm trying to figure out is how to go about all of this and where to start, but I suppose it'll have to wait."

"Now, when you arrive at the welcoming ceremony you will be grouped with the other new SOLDIER recruits. Veld will be in attendance as well as Director Lazard and Executive Heidegger. As it so happens, I believe that you know some of the recruits from Midgar."

I looked at Tseng with interest as he continued.

"Their names are Abbott, Kunsel, and Zack. Sound familiar?"

I grinned uncontrollably.

After a brief run in with him a few days ago, I already knew that Kunsel would be there, but what I was pleasantly surprised by was the fact that Zack and Abbott would be there too. I suppose that he did manage to squeeze in to the program in time. As for Abbott, it had been too long since I last saw the girl.

"I definitely know them." I said confidently. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Yes, well keep that in perspective as the mission proceeds. As with what Veld said, it will be up to you how to handle previous relations. They are there for you to use if need be, but they can also become liabilities."

"I think I can handle that just fine."

Tseng stopped outside the Elevator.

"This is as far as I can go. From here, take the Elevator up a floor and you find yourself outside of the assembly hall. It will be easy for you to find the gathering spot for SOLDIER recruits and you are to wait there until the ceremony begins. After that it is up to you."

"Right…Sounds easy enough." I reassured myself.

"Good luck."

* * *

…

I was one of the first to arrive.

Aside from myself, there were four other SOLDIER recruits waiting over by the window showing the city's skyline. I had no clue who they were, and the helmets they wore didn't help. On the opposite side of the floor, there was already a number of what I guessed were the new enlisters for the infantry division; I could tell already that they dwarfed our number of candidates.

Others passed us by, walking straight into what was the assembly hall; a mix of SOLDIERs and the Shinra Infantry. A few minutes passed and some of the other recruits showed up. I also thought that I saw Director Lazard for a moment walking through the growing crowd, but I wasn't sure. I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of the Midgar recruits.

"Hey…" A voice came from behind me.

I whirled around to see a familiar, stalky figure standing behind me. He was wearing a helmet over his head, but I could see a tuft of brown hair sticking out from beneath. It was Kunsel, no doubt about it.

I smiled slyly.

"You weren't about to mistake me for Zack again, right?" I quipped before he said anything else.

"S-Sibyl?!" He answered dumbstruck.

"Hey, I did mention that we would be seeing each other more, didn't I?" I teased lightly.

"I thought you were—"

"I suppose I need to offer you an explanation—well, all of you," I said seeing Zack and who I guessed was Abbott walking up beside Kunsel. "But, I'm in SOLDIER now with the rest of you guys!"

Abbott didn't seem to notice me and was talking to another person beside her, a boy with dirty blond hair. I vaguely recalled his name: Luxiere. He must have been the last recruit, though I doubt he remembered me much.

"You're here too?" I heard Zack ask pensively.

"Heh, haven't seen you in a while Zack. How's it going?" Zack didn't respond right away. There was a faint look of confusion on his face, but it was quickly replaced by a blank expression. "Don't hurt yourself." I spoke up again. "Are you alright Zack?"

"Finally, I'm not the only one who noticed it!" Kunsel exclaimed. "So what is it? You nervous about SOLDIER? Hey Sibyl, you should have been there to see it. The last entrance test the academy had and Zack pulls this over the top technique and wham! He passed! I've never seen anything like it."

Zack laughed, his usual demeanor setting back in.

"Yeah, it was kinda lucky." He thought for a moment before clapping his hands together. "But nothing I can't handle. Sorry about how I'm acting, I guess I'm just excited to see who my new mentor will be."

"Oh! That's right, I almost forgot about it. We'll be paired up with an older member of SOLDIER. I heard that the General is the one who assigns them. Who do you think I'll be paired up with? I can't wait!"

Kunsel seemed to be overly ecstatic about the ceremony. He brought up something else I was worried about: Who was my teacher going to be? Whoever it was was going to be stuck with my sorry skills. That was another thing the Turks could have no control over. All recommendations, requests, and evaluations were done by Sephiroth himself.

"What do you think the chances would be of being paired with a 1st class?" I asked lightheartedly.

"Hm, I'm not sure how it works." Kunsel responded.

To my surprise, it was Zack who answered my question.

"Well, the chances aren't that great." He said. "There are only nine 1st class SOLDIERs. They are kept pretty busy with the most important missions, and with the war going on it'd be twice as unlikely to get one of them. In fact, I think there's going to be less than half of them here today."

"Since when did you know this?!" Kunsel prodded before smiling in response. "Sheesh, I'll bet that you'll make the rank of a 2nd faster than I can at this rate."

"You guys! Looks like it's our turn to go!" Abbott said cutting into our conversation. She gave me a short glance before looking away. I didn't know if she recognized me or not. Brushing that aside, we all looked towards the hall entrance and sure enough the last of the new infantrymen were heading through the grand doors.

Lining up in an orderly fashion, we walked through in groups of three.

Entering the assembly hall, I had to stop myself from looking around in awe. The greatest amount of SOLDIERs I had ever seen were in the room. It was easy to tell them apart from the Infantry Division. The chatter in the hall seemed to die down a bit and I could feel the weight of more than a few eyes press down on us. I was very thankful at the moment for the helmet covering my face up.

Rows upon rows of chairs filled the first half of the expansive hall. Nearly all of them were already occupied by a good amount of Shinra's military forces. Up towards the front of the room stood a platform on which there was a small section of chairs behind a decorative podium. From where I was I could see Heidegger's massive figure sitting next to Lazard's slender one. Veld was observing quietly at the far end of the section.

My face brightened a bit when I saw Angeal as well sitting right next to Sephiroth. The two seemed to be having a hushed conversation above the murmur of the crowd. Angeal was listening patiently to Sephiroth all the while his eyes were scanning the crowd. I must have been staring too much because all of a sudden Angeal was looking straight at me.

The expression on his face twisted to an odd frown for a moment and I bit my lip before averting my gaze elsewhere. I wasn't that easy for him to spot out of a massive crowd, was I? No, I was wearing a helmet and everything. I was disguised.

Finally our small group reached a break in the crowd. A small row of chairs was left completely empty having been reserved for the SOLDIER recruits. Behind it was an even bigger section roped off in which the new Infantrymen sat in. Squeezing down the row, we sat down in the chairs and waited. Zack ended up sitting next to me with someone I didn't know on my left side.

Heidegger was the first to step up to the podium, starting off with a long speech.

While everyone was at attention, I quietly looked around instead, my mind unable to focus on his words. There was an empty seat beside Angeal and I silently wondered if it was supposed to be Genesis' seat. Angeal himself was doing something similar to what I was. He was looking out at the audience calmly and casually.

Heidegger laughed and I flinched slightly before glancing at him again.

There was one thing that I noticed and that was the massive presence of SOLDIERs in the assembly hall. Even with the war in Wutai still going strong, I estimated that well over sixty of them were there. And if I was correct, several of the other people seated on the platform beside Angeal and Sephiroth were 1st class ranked too.

Shinra must have been doing a fantastic job at manipulating the war, especially if they invited General Sephiroth to regularly deliver and address at initiation ceremonies. From what I learned, there were at least four in a year and it didn't include other meetings.

Speaking of Sephiroth, he remained as still as a statue.

Just how powerful was he at his current age? Sitting there, he looked harmless to me, but I knew that was a lie. He didn't have Masamune by his side today, but I guarantee you he could still obliterate any enemy without it.

Suddenly, Sephiroth moved and I had to stop myself from jumping out of my chair. Only Zack seemed to notice and he nudged my arm. Glancing at him, he raised an eyebrow at me to pose a silent question. I shook my head and looked back up in time to see Sephiroth reach the podium.

"Today, I welcome you to the ranks which brings hope and security to the many across the planet." Sephiroth began, his voice echoing with authority. "Each of you now takes on the responsibility of protecting the people of Gaia and upholding the morals and principles of the Shinra Power Company, whether you are a member of the Infantry or SOLDIER."

* * *

…

The rest of Sephiroth's speech was…incredible.

He was a really potent speaker, convincing even. What he said about Shinra and even the Wutai war would have had me sold on how much of a _great_ entity Shinra was if not for the fact that I already knew what the company's true colors were. The end of the speech was marked by a standing ovation and after that a few final remarks were given by several others who I didn't recognize.

But it was quite the sight to behold.

After the ceremony concluded, the people on the platform exited, followed by the rest of the audience. Along with fourteen others, I was now officially listed as a SOLDIER 3rd class. We were instructed to wait outside of the assembly hall yet again, this time we were waiting to be picked up by whoever our new assigned teachers were.

"Man, that was awesome!" Kunsel was first to speak.

I opened my mouth to say something when I was cut off by a sharp pain in my arm. "Hey!" I protested as I turned to see it was that delivered a sucker punch to my arm. It was Abbott.

"I knew it!" Her voice came. Placing her hands on her hips, she looked slightly peeved. "You disappeared on me for a few weeks and now you're back with us again? You've got a lot of talking to do."

"Nice to see you again too, Abbott." I replied sheepishly.

The expression on her face softened slightly.

"Still, I guess I can't stay mad at you. We're one of the few women in SOLDIER now, so we have to stick together!" Abbot declared clenching her fist. "Right…er…Sibyl?"

"Right." I said returning her confidence.

I didn't realize how much I missed Abbott's company. Sure, while I had Cissnei to talk to with the Turks, she was rather soft spoken. Abbott on the other hand was someone who acted more bluntly; I guess that she kind of reminded me of my old friend from before…Emma was her name, right?

I frowned at my own question.

"I can't wait! Maybe we'll all get to go on a mission together and we can take out those evil Wutaians, huh?" She interrupted.

"But first things first, we finally get to figure out who we'll get as a teacher…You know what though, I can't stop thinking about what Sibyl said earlier. Do you think any of us got lucky enough to get a 1st class?" Kunsel questioned. "Zack, what do you think?"

"Well," He trailed off uncertainly.

"If anything, I'd like to bet a thousand Gil that Zack Fair over here will get one." I volunteered, playfully throwing a hand on top of his shoulder. I was hoping that somehow Angeal would end up his teacher, but did that happen later on or did it actually have the possibility of happening now?

"Abbott Sterling." A voice called before we said anything else. All of our heads turned in the same direction to see a tall woman standing not far from us. Her uniform was a deep purple, signaling that she was a 2nd class.

"That's…I guess that's me!" Abbott said in anticipation. "I'll see you guys around then!" Turning heel, she walked over to the 2nd class and the two headed for the elevator. That was when I noticed that several more SOLDIERs arrived, each wearing a purple uniform.

One by one, the remaining fourteen of us were being called away.

As luck would have it, Zack and I were the last ones left.

"What do you think is taking so long?" I asked with a sigh. I was getting tired of standing there.

"I'm not too sure." Zack responded before glancing around the now empty hall. "So did you mean it earlier? You know, about me getting a 1st class for a mentor?"

"Of course I did." I replied smartly. "I can tell that you've got a lot of potential as a SOLDIER."

What a lie.

I based that off of the fact that he studied under Angeal before. As a Turk, I was dead certain that I wouldn't be able to make calls on who was SOLDIER material or not. Not unless I happened to know who they were. For example:

Cid Highwind- Definitely no.

Cloud Strife- Gets my vote.

You get the picture.

"It means a lot." Zack said turning cheerful. "You know, I left my home town a while back to join SOLDIER and eventually become a 1st class—it was my dream. I can only hope that I'll get that far."

"Heck, you've made it this far." I reassured. "No reason why you can't keep going." And with me here, I sure wasn't going to let anything happen to him. Or to Genesis or Angeal for that matter.

"I think that I'm feeling better already!" Zack claimed.

"So," a familiar voice interrupted. "Zack Fair as of today I am your teacher."

"Angeal!" Zack said with a start. "Uh, I mean, Hewely, sir!"

"Angeal works just fine." Angeal responded with a laugh. He had entered the hall through a door that I failed to notice and walked towards us. I kept the expression on my face straight and didn't say a word. "I believe I've kept you waiting for long enough. For today, I'm going to run you through a series of tests to see for myself what you can do. We'll go from there."

"Alright!"

I had never seen a kid so excited about physical activity. And Angeal was a 1st class—the poor sucker was liable to be run into the ground, but then again it was Zack Fair. Maybe the hyperactive energy he had could keep him going.

Something like the Energizer bunny.

My lips twitched as I fought down a smile.

Just as Zack and Angeal began to walk away, Angeal came to a stop right next to me and I felt his gaze burning through my helmet. I didn't say anything and jut looked right back. There was no way—

"If this is some ploy to hide from Genesis, just know that it won't last for long."

My mouth dropped open and I pulled up the visor on my face.

"No way! How could you tell it was me?!"

Angeal chuckled at my response.

"Trust me when I say that both me and Genesis would be able to spot you from a mile away even if you walked in a crowd of people dressed exactly the same."

"I stick out that bad, huh?" I laughed before pulling the visor back down. "But then again, you guys already know me. That's gotta be cheating in some way."

"Maybe." Angeal agreed. "Look, we'll continue this later. For now—"

"Got it. You and Zack have got some training to do, right? I'll just be here then." Yet again there was another person I needed to explain things to. How irksome.

"Hey, see you later Sibyl!" Zack said.

Angeal shook his head before smirking. The two headed for the elevator.

"If you need anything, you'll find us in the third training room of the SOLDIER floor."

I didn't respond and instead leaned against the wall, watching the elevator doors close behind them. Letting out a sigh, I started looking around once more. Boredom was setting in, and fast. Looking at the clock on the far wall, I had been waiting already for over thirty minutes. Whoever my SOLDIER mentor was had been running extremely late.

The ticking of the clock seemed to get louder and I started tapping my foot slightly, trying to do anything to avert my boredom…and maybe also the anxious feeling gnawing at my stomach. I had no clue what was going to happen next for the first time in a while. The fact that I was left with nothing to do naturally meant that I would start thinking about that.

Another ten minutes passed and I began contemplating sitting down on the floor. The only problem was that the brace wouldn't make things easy.

_Click!_

The sound of a door opening caught my attention and my eyes automatically moved towards the source. My eyes widened and my back stiffened.

Sephiroth was the one who stepped out of the door this time. His boots echoed against the floor and I felt myself panicking on the inside. There was no way that he would be my teacher, right? I was going to be buried six feet under within the hour if that was the case.

Why me?

Noticing that he was only five feet away now, I saluted unsure of what else to do. "At ease," He said coolly. "Unless there are other people around that formality is not needed noting your…particular position."

I lowered my hand, but still felt wary.

"Yes sir." I said curtly.

"You are the young Turk from Nibelheim, correct?"

Reaching for my helmet, I took it off and instantly found it easier to breath. Resting the helmet under my arm, I nodded. "Correct." I repeated. There was a strange twinkle in his eye, one that made me kind of suspicious. "By any chance, you wouldn't happen to be…"

"No. That is a task that falls to someone else. Unfortunately he ran into some complications on the way in. But as it so happens he is due to arrive at any minute. I wanted to use the time to speak unless you wanted to try your hand at sparring."

My reaction was rushed.

"—No, that's fine. I think I'll pass on that." I said practically flailing my hands.

Sephiroth looked at me curiously.

"In all honesty, General, I wouldn't be able to last a millisecond against you." I offered.

"How forthcoming." He answered sharply. "Normally anyone would leap at the opportunity."

"I just happen to be that one person with a desire to live." I said dryly. Who in their right mind would want to go up against _him_ of all people? On second thought, perhaps everyone in Shinra was crazy to some respect. I knew though that in no way shape or form did I ever want to cross blades with him.

My joke went over Sephiroth's head as he made his way over to the elevator, me tailing alongside him while keeping a respectable distance. With a ding, the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. I looked at him for a few seconds before he motioned for me to stand beside him.

I tentatively stepped forward and entered the small space. The doors quickly shut behind me and the elevator began moving up to the forty-ninth flour. That was when I felt the atmosphere in the small space become chilly. I had to suppress the slight shiver threatening to go up my spine.

Great.

"So that we are clear," Sephiroth stated seriously. "Trouble caused by outsiders is something I do not appreciate. It brews only more problems and creates a rift in an otherwise orderly environment. Make one mistake and I will have Director Lazard revoke your status as a 3rd class."

Swallowing back my own fear, I kept my voice level and placed the helmet back on my head.

"Duly noted." I answered. "But look, I promise that I'm not here to stir up any trouble." I already figured out how much paper Shinra required for everything. Mission reports, individual files, referrals and complaints alike—there was no escaping paperwork even from a paper cut…Hypothetically speaking.

With that and the fact that I was an outsider, I could see where he was coming from with this. The information that I was a Turk was also probably a major deciding factor in his actions. I was there not to spy on and eliminate an outside threat, but to keep a heavy eye on the movements of the general's own men, people who he trusted and relied on. My own actions could only cause chaos and turmoil for him.

"Words of that caliber hold no meaning. We shall see if your actions align with them first." He replied without batting an eye.

_Ding!_

"Ouch." I said in exaggeration. Just as Sephiroth stepped off of the elevator, a single idea occurred to me.

Judging by the way he acted, I had a hunch that he knew absolutely nothing about my relationship with neither Angeal nor Genesis. He nearly scared the crap out of me in a tiny box of space, so I thought that I was deserving of some payback. What better way than to mess with his head?

"_Pride is lost, Wings striped away_." I sighed dramatically as I exited the elevator.

The reaction was instant.

Sephiroth stopped dead in his tracks, and I nearly missed it when I kept walking. When I noticed that he wasn't anywhere in sight, I hesitated and turned around. The great Sephiroth stood a few feet behind me with the most deadpanned expression I had ever seen. I could have even sworn that for a moment his green eyes seemed to narrow in thought.

It turns out that he was already well acquainted with the famous poem.

"What, Sir?" I said defensively. "It's just poetry."

"I am well aware of the fact." Sephiroth said in contemplation, as he continued walking.

I dropped slightly behind him and bit my lip to try and keep my face straight. On the inside I could feel my lungs starting to cramp. Maybe these next few minutes were going to be enjoyable. But what to say next?

"I am sure that you are curious to know who has been appointed as your mentor." Sephiroth cut in before I could say anything else. "Do you recall the conversation at Nibelheim?"

I tilted my head in thought before answering.

"It was about materia, right?"

"As it so happens, the individual I selected has an abundant experience in the utilization and manipulation of it."

Okay, so he was putting me with some sort of materia expert.

For a first impression, Sephiroth was turning out to be extremely confusing. He first came of as friendly—though the offer of a spar might have been used for intimidation—and then he took on a menacing, serious persona. The poem got some sort of reaction from him, but whether it was one to laugh at or be wary of, that was to be seen. And now he was talking about who was going to train me, being so thoughtful as to place me with a person who would be of use to me and even potentially improve my skills in the process.

Maybe he was handing me over to someone who would keep me under close watch or someone who was simply and completely out of the way.

I just couldn't guess the answer at all.

Confusing indeed.

"Wait, so can you tell me who it is?" I asked with genuine curiosity. That was before I froze up when a distinct flash of crimson caught my eye a little further down the wide, gray hallway.

"As a matter of fact, there he is." Sephiroth said casually, unaware of the fact that my impending doom was approaching me.

Normally when referring to Genesis, I never thought in that way. As of right now, however, I could tell that said 1st class had an undeniable scowl on his face, one that told me he wasn't in the mood to be messed with. On top of that, I could also see a small figure almost hovering at his side.

Mog.

That was when I had the gut feeling that he was on the hunt.

And that I was the target.

Whether Angeal managed to mention something to him, or he was still irritated with me, I had no idea. Another question that popped into my head was about the presence of the tiny moogle. I wondered for a split second if it was actually possible for him to have lost me. That would have explained why it was looking around.

Aside from a small handful of other SOLDIERs in the main hallway of the floor, I was relieved that there weren't many people around to actually see the moogle. But that also meant that I would be easier to spot.

At that moment, Angeal's words from earlier echoed in my head.

"_both me and Genesis would be able to spot you from a mile away"_

I was really hoping that it wouldn't be the case.

As if he could the moogle could hear me thinking, his head turned sharply in my direction. I could feel the sweat starting to form on my brow from underneath the helmet.

"Very unusual." Sephiroth noted to himself.

'_Do not come here. Do not come here._' I mentally chanted. Heedless of what I was thinking, Mog began to approach anyway. At first Genesis didn't take notice, but my heart sank when Mog turned back to grab his attention. Confidently striding forward, Genesis tailed behind the moogle as it led him closer to me.

Involuntarily I shrank back behind Sephiroth.

The General took notice of my action and opened his mouth to form a question. However, before the man could utter a syllable, Mog plopped himself on my shoulder and I jumped.

"_Siby!_" He cried gleefully. "_Found ya!_"

I didn't respond to the moogle's cry. No, instead my eyes were on Genesis' face. As the dots connected, the blank look on his face slowly curled up into a scheming smile on his approach. That was when I concluded that I had two options. One was to remain where I was and see what he would do and the other was to plan an escape.

On the wall behind Genesis, I could see a giant number five plastered right next to a door.

The training rooms.

Room number three.

That would be my escape route—I had to find Angeal.

"Is there something I am missing?" Sephiroth plainly asked, his eyes flickering between Genesis and the moogle on my shoulder. The auburn haired first class looked at him with the same expression.

"_My Friend_," Genesis started off pleasantly before his eyes skipped to me. "_The fates are cruel_."

Quoting Loveless straight off the bat?

Not a good sign.

Which would result in the lesser outcome? Running right then and there with my leg in a brace might not have been the best option, but something in my mind clicked. Flight instincts were kicking in and before I knew it, I had spun around and took off sprinting down the hall.

"Angeal!" I called frantically.

The answer to my question from earlier?

I was definitely and undeniably way in over my head. The people in Shinra—everyone involved with it was crazy. I waltzed straight into a mad house where nothing made sense. Was it too late to think that?

Probably.

Five years of meticulous training and nearly six away from home would cause just about anyone to lose their sanity. Somehow I managed to get by. There must have been something in the back of my mind that made me think that way. Perhaps it was the mako altering my own perception, who knows?

"Come back here, Brat!"

Throwing a hasty glance over my shoulder, I could see Genesis right behind me and gaining. Keeping my face straight, I turned back around and tried kicking myself into a higher gear, bolting around the corner. "No thanks!" I shouted. "Angeal!"

With all of my haste, Mog had let go of my shoulder and he was quickly left behind. Bolting past some of the bystanders, some of them grunted in surprise. I paid them no mind and instead my eyes scanned the walls. The numbers around them were going up instead of down. Making yet another split decision, I turned down another hallway.

My leg was starting to hurt slightly.

The hallway was starting to turn around yet again and I could see two shapes sitting at the end of it: a very confused Sephiroth and Mog. It had somehow come full circle. Plowing right past them, I ran into the opposite branching hallway before finally seeing the numbers for the training rooms go lower.

Four.

Three!

Found it!

Reaching for the door, I yanked it open and practically flew into the room. The door slammed against the frame and Angeal was the first to come into view. I dove behind him as Genesis came in right behind me. Beside me, I could see Zack visibly react, flinging the sword in his hand up to the ready.

"Angeal, would you please step aside." Genesis commanded.

"What trouble did you get into this time?" Angeal asked turning to look down at me.

"I don't even know what I did!" I said frantically. "One moment I was minding my own business and then Gen shows up clearly using Mog as a bloodhound!"

Angeal nodded his head taking in my words. He looked at Genesis whose face broke out into a grin. "Well Gen, it looks like you were successful."

"What?" I asked in confusion. In response, both Genesis and Angeal broke out laughing and I frowned.

"Wait, so Commander Rhapsodos was who you were talking on the PHS a few minutes ago?" Zack said lowering the sword in his hands, his posture loosening up.

"You're telling me that you two planned this?" I accused Angeal.

"Actually, there was only one mastermind." Genesis corrected.

"_Kupo_."

"And you," I said turning quickly on the moogle. "You are such a traitor!"

"_Why?_"

"Don't ask me why. You led him straight to me! Why didn't you come back with me like you were supposed to, hm?"

"_Kupo nuts._" The creature answered simply.

I rested a hand on my helmet.

"You're telling me that Genesis was feeding you nuts?" I cautiously looked at the SOLDIER. "You know that if you feed him too much he wouldn't be able to fly, right?"

Genesis shrugged his shoulders.

"He has been more than useful to me, therefore it seemed fitting." Genesis stated.

"You can talk to it?!" Zack said awestruck.

Someone cleared their throat. The four of us went silent as our attention was directed to the doorway. Sephiroth stood there with an unreadable look on his face as he glanced to both Angeal and Genesis.

"Would either of you two care to explain?"

* * *

...

Author's note: Sorry it took so long to get this up. I kind of lost a bit of momentum in trying to figure out how to write this chapter. Just last week I found my inspiration again and, with any luck, I'll start to update regularly again. The story has finally reached its main setting and it'll progress from there. I ended up deciding to have a little fun with the ending for the heck of it. Hopefully there should be minimal mistakes in grammar.

Thank you so much to all of my viewers out there! I feel like my writing has progressed a lot since I began writing and I owe much of it to you guys. Feel free to leave any comments or reviews; I find extra motivation with those! Thanks again!

Until next time (but hopefully not as long),

~BlueCampanula


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One: SOLDIER**

* * *

...

"So this is the childhood friend I heard about." Sephiroth said astutely. He looked as if the secrets of the world had been revealed to him. Genesis was leaning casually up against the wall with his arms crossed and confirmed the silver-haired General's words with a nod.

"The one and only." Angeal added. "It's funny. About a month ago I would never have considered things to come to this."

"You and me both, Angeal." Genesis agreed.

Zack was warming up in the training room while the four of us talked. He could be seen through the observation window swinging the training sword around in the high tech room. Mog rested on my shoulder once more and seemingly fell asleep. The day wasn't even halfway over and the small creature was already beat. I envied him, being able to fall asleep like that. It was also a wonder how he managed to stay balanced.

"Care to explain why exactly you are wandering outside of your own boundaries?" Genesis asked changing the subject. "I receive a call from Angeal about you parading around in a SOLDIER uniform, and what do I find? Exactly that."

I sighed and shook my head.

"Business, that's why." I answered casually. "After that incident with Lysander, Veld found reason to believe that there could be more people on the inside that are involved. It's possibly tied in with what happened at Nibelheim too. I just happened to be the least recognizable face out there and they decided I was perfect for the job."

"Interesting." Sephiroth observed. "And it just so happens that you are not only acquainted with two top-tiered 1st classes, but also a childhood friend of theirs? Veld has always been known to play a strong hand in the game. He is good." The cold attitude he was displaying earlier was gone and replaced with something remotely like curiosity instead. Finding out that I was a friend of his friends did wonders.

It was really weirding me out to some extent.

"Remind me again why I'm back here and not at the front?" Genesis questioned.

"Because I assigned you a mentee," Sephiroth explained. "I figured that it would do you some good to take a break and turn your focus elsewhere."

"Humph. Is that so?" He questioned pointedly. "I figured that you would stick Angeal with some brat, but myself?"

Genesis shook his head.

"I have to agree with that." Angeal spoke up. "Genesis here doesn't exactly seem to be interested in teaching. But I have to admit, you couldn't have picked a better candidate. At least he would make at least an effort to try and avoid killing her."

"Wow. That's a nice vote of confidence." I snorted.

"Are you saying that you have the inability to train someone with lesser skills?" Sephiroth questioned with a slight smirk. "If that is the case, then it should be easy for me to—"

"That isn't necessary. I am more than capable of taking on a student, even ones with dismal skill." Genesis snipped with an unamused scowl. "As it just so happens, time is being wasted and there is much to do. Let's move, Brat." With a flourish of his red jacket, Genesis walked out the door, not looking back.

There was a slight chuckle and I hesitated for a moment.

"As expected. This might become more amusing than I thought." Sephiroth stated. I quickly looked at him, silently wondering to myself if he had actually, _genuinely_ laughed. I knew that he was a human being still and everything, but I half expected him to have almost zero emotion.

"Never underestimate what he'll do. He might just take everything you say as a challenge and it doesn't help that he already seems to be on a warpath." Angeal commented with a shake of his head. "Something must have set him off before he got here."

"That just proves he's still Genesis though…" I mumbled in response. "I guess that means if I want to remain in one piece, I better get a move on. See you later Angeal. And, um…Nice to formally meet you General Sephiroth?"

Nodding my head at my own uncertainty, I turned my head and walked out the door without looking back. It never occurred to me just what things were supposed to be like before the canon story of the game. Even when I thought about the world I was in—the world of Gaia—it was all rather…normal; ordinary.

That was to say if you ignored the whole ethical ordeal going on with the Shinra Company.

Drawing away from my thoughts, I glanced down both ends of the hallway in time to catch a glimpse of crimson disappearing around one of the corners. Sighing, I broke out into a light jog to catch up with him. Already I was beginning to feel some strain from using the brace. Perhaps it wasn't entirely too wise to run.

Ahead of me, Genesis walked into another training room that seemed to be on the opposite side of the entire floor, far away from where Sephiroth and Angeal were. Tailing in behind him, I saw him approach what looked like a control panel and he began pressing a few of the keys. Behind me the door slid shut. Where we were standing was similar to the last room; an observation room that had a massive window viewing into another space. There were a lot more control panels around, however.

Noticing a couch along the back wall, I moved over to it and steadily lifted the sleeping moogle off of my shoulder. Mog didn't stir at all as I carefully placed him in the corner of the couch before turning my attention back to Genesis. "So…" I tried breaking the silence. "What are we doing?"

Genesis lifted his hands off the keys and without looking at me spoke.

"I thought it was obvious. We're going to run through a few exercises." With a click of a button, a green light flashed and I watched the scenery behind the window change. It looked like the slums on the underside of the plate.

"Whoa." I said in awe. This must have been one of the newest training rooms there was. I had read one of the files on it a few days ago—it was a virtual reality training room. I walked over to the keys and glanced down. There were a lot of words along with them and several meters with varying numbers.

I would have been lying if I said that I had no desire to see what the place was all about.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Make sure to grab a sword from the locker." Genesis said as he disappeared through the door. Even with his lack of direction, it was easy to spot the unit that was built seamlessly into the wall. Upon opening it, I discovered ten swords all neatly lined up. I picked one at random and then headed for the training room.

Actually entering the room was confusing at first and maybe even a little disorienting; that was the only way I could describe it. One moment I was standing in Shinra headquarters and then a perfect replica of the slums. I was surrounded by rundown buildings and the air was stuffy. Turning around the doorway I had come through was nowhere in sight.

Technology of the likes that Shinra had was far from comprehension.

And I must have been gawking with my mouth open because Genesis cleared his throat. He was standing only a few feet away. I approached him and nodded my head, snapping out of my own trance.

"Shall we begin?" Genesis suggested, raising his blade up to the ready.

I stared back at him blankly. "Hold on, don't you think this is a bit much?"

Genesis' eyes narrowed.

"You should know fully well that this is what you have signed up for. Underestimate something and the fault will be yours." He answered sternly. "Now, be prepared."

Without another warning, Genesis lunged forward, swinging his sword in a small arc. Reacting fast, I held out my own sword and braced for impact. They met with a loud clang and I pushed away with a small huff. My heart jumped when I saw another blow incoming. Not sparing another second, I rolled out of the way and leaped back onto my feet.

Genesis lashed out again, this time with faster strikes. Each one bounced off of my sword which felt progressively heavier. Before I knew it, my arms were shaking. This wasn't the sort of training I had worked on. I was weak with a sword—very, very weak. I noticed Genesis pause, giving me time to think.

I needed to remember to use my resources.

Coming back to my senses, I ducked over to the nearest cover. A massive boom and the sound of splintering wood met my ears as I shuffled further away from where Genesis was; he was using materia. Pressing up against a wood beam, I began listening to his footsteps. The SOLDIER had gone completely silent, but it sounded like he wasn't too far off.

"How do you intend to win a fight if you do not fight back?" Genesis then taunted. I could hear his boots crunching in the dirt; he had turned away and it sounded like he was heading the opposite direction of where I was.

"Trust me, I'm getting to that," I retorted quietly, but not quietly enough. "Shit."

A blast of searing heat pierced through the wood beam I stood behind, whizzing by the top of my helmet. I moved over to a stack of wood pallets and debris. Leaning on my good leg, I took a deep breath. It was then that I realized I should have asked Angeal just what kind of teacher Genesis was.

Judging by Reno's reaction a few days ago, I should have figured it wasn't good.

On the other hand, I didn't exactly expect to end up in this situation.

Something shifted out of the corner of my eye and my back stiffened. The shed I stood by started to move and my eyes widened in surprise. Gripping the sword tightly in my hand I leaped out into the open and away from my cover—a monster. It was a Hell House. Right as I moved to strike, a blur of crimson slashed through the monster—cleaving it in two.

"Did you really believe I was your only opponent here?" Genesis stepped into sight, side stepping the remains of the Hell house as it faded away. "You're not making a good first impression, Brat. Is this all you think it takes to fit into SOLDIER?"

"No," I shot back defensively. "I'm—"

"Then show me." Genesis abruptly cut in.

Steeling myself, I finally slipped into an aggressive stance; the brace felt constricting around my leg and I bit my lip. If I didn't get past Genesis now, then who was to say that I would actually last playing the role of SOLDIER? I tried rationalizing his actions; thinking that maybe in his own way Genesis was actually trying to help me…by trying to murder me.

Not waiting another second, I rushed towards him.

And he smirked.

Before I knew it, he had disappeared out of my sight and I skidded to a stop. A gut feeling told me to turn around, and not a moment too soon. Spinning on my heel, I barely had time to block a crimson blur as Genesis' sword collided with mine. Grunting, I took a step towards Genesis and shoved back his sword. Following through, I took another step forward and swung my sword in a wobbly arc.

Sparks flew off of the metal as it clashed once more. Huffing, I moved again and took a swing at his left arm. The brace around my leg squealed with the pressure and I hesitated for a moment—a poor decision. With a sudden _clack_, the sword went flying from my hand: I had been disarmed and I was at the opposite end of a crimson blade.

Standing there, I looked at Genesis with a glare.

"Fire!" I spat hastily. Genesis' brow creased and as he sidestepped the fireball, I sent more. Out of precaution, I decided on using a lower grade of the fire spell; if Genesis used magic, then that meant I would as well, but I wasn't going to overdo it. Finally, a gap formed between Genesis and me. In the corner of my vision, I could see the sword that was cast aside. With a burst of adrenaline, I turned from Genesis and made my way towards it.

I had to learn how to use the sword.

While I could rely on my magic on its own, it was no substitute for defense against physical attacks from a weapon such as the sword itself. Even a gun had a better chance of defense.

Genesis wasn't letting me go that easy, however. No sooner had I turned to run, he was right on my tail. Snapping my fingers, I summoned up another slew of fireballs and tried to distract him. Left and right over my shoulders, I casted them and Genesis skillfully swept them away like flies. Reaching out for the hilt of the sword, I yelped in surprise when my wrist was grabbed in a vice grip.

With a single tug I was turned around, but before I could use any more magic, Genesis stopped me. "That is enough." He stated, lowering his weapon.

Releasing my wrist, he sheathed the blade at his side and replaced it with his phone. Clicking a few of the buttons I watched as the background of the slums seemingly digitized into pixels, slowly being chipped away. I watched in fascination as I once again found myself standing in the training room in Shinra's headquarters.

"Perhaps I misjudged." Genesis said, his voice even and smooth; it sounded as if he barely lifted a finger during the fight and his appearance said the same. On the other hand, my heart was beating fast and my arms were shaking. This was what the difference was between a Mako infused SOLDIER and an ordinary person. Sure, I had some of it running through me, but it didn't work the same.

"Why is it that you always put yourself in such situations?" Genesis drew me out of my musings.

I shrugged my shoulders in response. "You know, compared to what you might be thinking, I don't mess everything up." I said with a sigh. "Come on, you could at least give me the benefit of the doubt. I know my swordsmanship is really bad right now, but I can improve fast at least."

"On the contrary, your lack of skills shouldn't be of concern; that is an easy matter to fix." Genesis stated plainly. "Attaining abilities of a passable 3rd class is within the reach of every normal being, but only with dedication."

"Then I don't see a problem. Tseng was pretty cut and dry with the explanations during my briefing." I responded quickly.

"And what of dealing with the science department?" Genesis then asked.

"The science department?" I repeated. "I was told paperwork was taken care of for that. I don't exactly have to worry about a scientist showing up on the barrack doorstep to cart me away. That and I've got a helmet on my head, so it's not like they can tell anything is off with my magic."

"What is to stop them from observing your every movement?" Genesis suggested.

I paused to think about it.

"You told me that you have Mako running through your veins as I do, just as every SOLDIER does. It would draw a lot of attention if an undercover operative with no records of Mako exposure was able to keep up with their famed SOLDIER program." Genesis continued. "Searching logs for registered materia is also an easy feat. They are persistent, even if the difference is only slight."

I listened to him speak.

The Mako that was in my blood, while my body reacted differently to it, what else could it effect? I didn't have the durability of a SOLDIER, but something else was bound to be different in some way. "So tread with caution…" I concluded.

"That is the first lesson I will grant you: never let your guard down. I expect you to remember it." Turning away, Genesis headed for the door to the observation room while I stood rooted where I was. "You are dismissed for the day. You will be back at this exact room at five; any later and there will be consequences."

"Five in the evening?" I asked hopefully.

"Five in the morning." Genesis said curtly.

"Right." I said holding back a groan; I wasn't about to complain because I had to be used to it by now. I began to leave the room, following after Genesis. Things were going to be a bit more difficult; I would have to learn to use and rely on the sword if I wanted to safely move underneath Hojo's radar, but I also needed to keep myself in check. I needed to limit magic use.

"Brat, why are you favoring your right leg?"

"Hm?" I hummed absently.

"During our fight it was hard to not notice." Genesis continued, "And it is easy to tell a difference in your gait by merely listening to you walking." He whirled around on me, giving me a scrutinizing gaze. For a seventeen year old, Genesis' abilities of observation amazed me. The other SOLDIERs I encountered earlier didn't bat an eye and Angeal already knew. It made me wonder just how scary the three most elite SOLDIERs could be.

"Alright, alright!" I confessed. Tapping my fingers against my left leg, a metallic rattle sounded. "I take it that Angeal didn't mention this, did he? It's a brace for an injury. But don't worry, it don't feel it that much."

"A brace suggests something other than a wound inflicted by a simple Wutaian weapon." Genesis observed. "You were shot at, weren't you?"

"Yes." I answered bluntly.

"Your last assignment was a week ago, yet you are walking around with what seems to be nothing more than a slight limp."

"And it's not normal for people here?"

"What would be considered normal in your standards, Brat?"

I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation. "I honestly don't know! You're telling me that people can jump a few hundred feet out of a helicopter and not get injured, but recovery is slow? No, from what I learned, heights kill, and as for recovery…well, I'd never been shot before." I muttered the last part under my breath.

I would have rather not experienced getting shot, but it was too late now.

"Get some rest; it is quite apparent that you need it." Genesis then spoke. "But before that, I suggest you head for the mess hall before it closes. We'll work with materia for the week. After that we will do more with the sword."

"Huh?" I questioned the abrupt change in the conversation. "Really?"

"No matter what condition, it is never good to aggravate an injury. Do not think that simply because we are friends that things will be easy." He replied.

"No, I get the feeling that it makes things worse." I admitted thoughtfully. We walked back into the control room. Mog was still sleeping on the couch and I pursed my lips. "So," I started, "What about Mog? I don't think he'll be able to stay in the SOLDIER 3rd quarters. Do you think he would be fine in my apartment?"

I still needed to reach Vincent, but at this rate it would have to wait. I had to be patient.

"Trust me, I can take care of the moogle for you. He seems to have no qualms about a free supply of food." Genesis said sarcastically.

"If he gets fat—"

"—He won't." Genesis cut me off, a teasing smile on his lips.

"Hey, what was eating you up earlier?" I said noticing the change in his mood. "You seem a heck of a lot better now."

Genesis' smile dropped slightly.

"That's none of your concern." He said almost sternly. "Now, run along, Brat. I have some reading to do and it is late."

I glanced at the clock and my eyes widened.

"It hasn't been that long already!" I shouted in disbelief. A couple of hours had passed in an instant, and if the time on the clock was right, the sun was already set. I dashed over to the weapon cabinet and replaced the sword before bolting for the door. "See you later, Gen! Take good care of Mog!"

And without any other thought, I darted towards the stairs.

I did not want to go the night without food.

* * *

…

"Geez, cutting it a bit close, aren't you?" Abbott said as I plopped myself down into the seat across from her.

I made it to the mess hall with only seconds to spare; the line for food closed right as I walked out with my tray. Abbott, Kunsel, and Zack were sitting at the end of one of the long tables that covered the expanse of the SOLDIER mess hall. It was packed and filled with uniformed people chatting loudly amongst each other. From what I had just seen, I determined that the academy had nothing on this place; the food was a whole other quality of its own.

"No, not at all. I still got here in time, didn't I?" I answered jokingly. The three of them had already gone through most of the food on their trays when I started to eat.

"So what happened to you?" Kunsel asked curiously. "You look like you've been put through the wringer."

"Yeah, we were just talking about our lessons!" Abbott added cheerfully.

"Well, we sparred. It didn't exactly help that he was in a bad mood." I speculated before turning to Zack. "So, what was it like training with Angeal? Probably a little less hostile, I bet." I let out a small laugh at my own joke.

"Actually, it wasn't that bad." Zack answered sedately; it was clear just how exhausted the boy was. "Ended up giving me some sort of speech about honor."

I snorted.

"Angeal, Angeal, ever the role model." I hummed. "I was wondering how long it would take for him to be like that. I guess I found my answer. You'll learn a lot from him."

"Zack mentioned that you got Genesis Rhapsodos as your teacher." Kunsel stated in awe. "I still don't understand how you two got to be so lucky."

"Lucky?" I repeated skeptically. "Yeah, sure. You keep thinking that, Kunsel."

"I'm serious! Aren't you friends with Commander Rhapsodos? That's what you said earlier!" He pressed. "Him and Angeal—they're the best of the best second only to the General! War heroes; everybody knows them. How are you acting so casual about this?"

"Sometimes I guess I forget who I'm dealing with." I said pensively.

That was truth with Genesis and Angeal. They weren't the people I thought they were and, then again, nobody really was. The same could be said for people like Zack, and Cloud, and Tseng, and even Reno. It was actually scary to think of how comfortable I was with a young man who was supposed to become the bad guy.

"So you are friends with the Commander?" Abbott added in question.

"Yeah, I am, but it won't make it any bit easier for me…In fact, maybe it just makes it twenty times worse." I answered thoughtfully.

"You're probably just biased." Abbott said trying to wave off my comment. Turning to Zack, she continued speaking. "Zack, overall, what's your rating for your mentor?"

"Ten out of Ten." Zack pitched without a second thought.

"You see?" Kunsel said pointedly.

"Oh yeah," Zack spoke up again, his voice turning somewhat serious. "Sibyl, you still haven't told us why you're here. I thought you were with the Investigation sector. What happened with that?"

And now the conversation had turned.

"Yeah, aren't you supposed to be a Turk? One of the guys in the black suits?" Abbott asked.

"You did say that you'd explain everything to us earlier." Kunsel added.

"Slow down," I said calmly. Turning my head, I glanced around; thankfully the rest of the mess hall was filled to the brim with noise, from the sound of trays clattering to the mindless chatter of other SOLDIERs. Nobody seemed to be within earshot. Relaxing my shoulders, I continued speaking. "I guess I did say that, didn't I? Well, about the Turks…" I hesitated.

Tseng's words from earlier rang in my mind: "Liabilities" he said.

And I began to wonder just how necessary it was to include them in all of this.

"You see…I kind of got kicked out of it." I finally responded.

It wasn't.

Leaning forward, I rested my elbow on the table and cradled my cheek in my hand, trying not to look at them. Asking myself then and there, I realized one other fact. The people here were not who I thought them to be; I didn't know them and they weren't game characters. I was perfectly fine with Genesis and Angeal knowing that, but what about Zack and Kunsel and Abbott?

They were still just kids.

"They decided I wasn't what they were looking for. One of my first missions didn't exactly end well…They thought this would be a better fit." I finished quietly.

Sounded convincing enough and that would be the end of it. Knowing would probably just put them in unnecessary danger, and I had enough to deal with already. In the long run, none of it really mattered.

Kunsel visibly winced at my words. In his mind, he probably chalked it up to the injuries he had seen a few days ago.

"That sucks." Abbott said dryly.

Zack was the only one who responded differently though. "What!?" he asked in disbelief. "You mean the Investigation Sector can actually do something like that? But…that doesn't seem like they would work like that. Man, I'm sorry." The expression on Zack's face seemed weird for a split second, but maybe I was imagining it.

Maybe there was something yet in Zack's personality that resembled the Zack Fair I knew of.

"It's fine. I at least get to keep my name." I joked halfheartedly.

My response only caused Zack to frown.

"No, that's just it. Once you become a member of the Turks, the only way out is by a body bag. Wasn't that the saying?" Zack insisted.

"Huh?"

I looked at Zack blankly and Abbott and Kunsel had the same idea. Where that sentence came from, I hadn't a clue. Zack fidgeted under our gaze, but he had asked that question in all seriousness. "Where did you hear something like that?" Abbott was the first to speak. "And here I thought you were from some place in the middle of the country—even I haven't heard that one!"

"Abbott's got a point. Besides, Sibyl is still here, isn't she?" Kunsel inquired.

"I would hope so." I answered rhetorically. "So what, am I on some kind of secret hit-list now?" My expression lightened, but I was confused. Where had Zack learned that? It was very unusual for him to say—something I would've put past him.

Zack's eyes widened and he shook his head, the usual grin appearing on his face. "Hey, I swear I'm not making this up! The other cadets in the academy mentioned something like that." He whined defensively.

"Heh. So is that why you didn't say anything back at the diner?" Kunsel asked.

"Wait, what diner? Are you talking about the one we went to in the slums?" I voiced my thoughts.

"That explains it!" Kunsel answered, a light bulb going off.

"You guys still need to give me the details about that!" Abbott protested.

Before anyone else could say anything, Zack interrupted with a loud yawn. That's when I realized just how tired I was. "Can we save it for tomorrow? Come to think of it, Angeal said I had to train with him in the morning." Zack mentioned.

"You too, huh?" Kunsel commented.

"Maybe we all do?" I asked cautiously. The conversation had spiraled in a weird direction, but it was just another long day. I needed to stop reading into the little details; paranoia was not working to be a good outfit for me, no matter what my former Turk mentor tried drilling into my head.

My eyes flitted to Abbott.

"Yeah, seven am sharp." She announced. "At least I can get breakfast."

"I think this is the start to something great!" Kunsel said enthusiastically. "Who knows, maybe we'll all become renowned SOLDIERs some day?"

I reluctantly got up from my seat. It was yet the beginning of another turn of events in my life, and I could only wait and see where it would lead. The one thing I could hope for was to not die by Genesis' hand any time soon, let alone the science department. I kind of envied the three souls before me. They didn't have anything to worry about yet, and hopefully they wouldn't have to.

"Lucky." I grumbled.

* * *

Author's Note: It has been a while, yet again. What can I say? There's been a lot that I've been busy with, lots of exams and plenty of homework included. It can also be pretty daunting to try and write chapters with huge word counts too. But I have done it! At this rate, I hope that I can at least update once a month (and hopefully the errors in this chapter are minimal). Thank you so much to all of my readers out there for your patience!And as per the usual, feel free to leave me any reviews you want! All of it is greatly appreciated and I can't tell you all how much it means to me!

Until next time,

~BlueCampanula


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two: Finding Resolve**

* * *

_..._

_Vincent,_

_I'm trying a new method of communication. Say hello to Mog; in case you couldn't tell, he's a moogle that I picked up from Wutai. I meant to write earlier, but a lot of stuff has been going on. I'm an official Turk now and what's more is that I've been placed in SOLDIER. I don't know how much news you've been getting ahold of in your travels, but I don't suppose you've heard about what happened in Nibelheim, have you?_

_Long story short, I think there might be a problem. There's a new group in the equation—a terrorist group that calls itself Avalanche. I might have mentioned a group named that awhile back, but this one is different. I'm not sure what their goal is, but we are supposed to be keeping an eye on it. Veld (You remember him, right?) seems to think that there is someone within SOLDIER that's been giving them intel. He's not too far off, but I think he'd be better off looking somewhere further up the ladder._

_Anyways, Shinra's practically turning a blind eye to it. If I find out any new details, I'll let you know. I just hope that you get this letter. I'm assuming that because of Chaos, Mog shouldn't have any trouble finding you. If he returns within a day, that'll be a success in my book. No need to send a response. I'll send more details later._

_Sib_

* * *

…

"_My friend, do you fly away now?_

"_To a world that abhors you and I?_"

I stepped forward, slashing the sword in my hand downward. Shuffling my feet, I slid back defensively while keeping the blade in front of me. Within my sights was a tiny, unassuming green amphibian-like creature. As I watched it, the creature stared back at me with its beady yellow eyes, a lantern swaying in its right hand.

"_All that awaits you is a somber morrow—_"

Suddenly, the creature rushed towards me and I tightened my hold on the leather grip. The lantern swayed rhythmically and then I could see a gleam of metal. Staggering my feet, I lowered the sword in time to ward off a glancing blow aimed at my legs. The knife clattered against the blade and it was the only other sound to be heard aside from Genesis.

"—_No matter where the winds may blow._"

Deciding that I had enough of it, I waited for the monster to move in once more before making my move. Feinting to the left, I came down on my opponent in a cross motion, the sword in my hand clumsily following my command. Sure enough, I cleaved it in two and watched as it faded from existence.

"That is good enough for today, Brat." Genesis said snapping his book shut. "Your form still needs a bit of work, but the instinct is there at least."

"I would hope so." I said letting my sword hand fall. Standing up straight, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Still some improvement at least, right?"

"Enough to combat a weakened tonberry," Genesis answered curtly.

"Exactly," I said with a proud smirk. "I'm glad I can at least pull that off with a sword. Imagine where I'll be in a few months? Maybe I'll come across a king tonberry in the wilds and claim its crown. I can see it now: I would be deemed a legend."

"Right, a king tonberry. Perhaps you should set your sights on a real tonberry first?" He suggested. I shrugged my shoulders in response before replacing the sword on its proper rack. No sooner had I done that, Genesis spoke again.

"Take the rest of the day off."

I paused, looking at him skeptically.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? I've decided to be generous. It also happens to be the last day of the year," he supplied. "Come January, the first of the SOLDIER 3rd assessments are taking place."

"Wait…you meant that today is New Year's Eve already?" I frowned in confusion. I remembered reading somewhere that time was an illusion, and in my mind I was beginning to agree with that sentiment. There was no way that the year was already over, but I guess that time loved functioning that way. It passed by when nobody was looking and seemed to only get faster the less it was thought of.

"Spend some time with your other friends and take a break. I've got other matters to attend to at the moment." His eyes flickered over my shoulder. "Or…It seems that you've already got plans in the details. Regardless, your session tomorrow is postponed." With a flick of his jacket, Genesis turned away and headed down the hallway.

Curiously, I glanced behind me to see who or what Genesis had caught sight of. Lo and behold, I saw a familiar figure leaning back against the wall, his arms crossed as if he had been waiting for me. It had been quite some time too, since I had seen anyone in a black suit.

"About time, yo." Reno straightened up, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Any longer and I might've had to go in there. I'll cut right to the chase, duty calls, Siby."

"Reno," I nodded in acknowledgment. He had perfect timing, as usual. There was absolutely no one else in the hall. It must have helped that it was around dinner time; not one SOLDIER wanted to miss out on dinner time, unless they were 1st class that is.

"What, no 'how are ya Reno? Long time no see?'" On cue, the elevator door next to him chimed, opening up its doors. Brushing past him, I chuckled softly.

"It has been awhile, hasn't it? But I guess it's not that hard for me to get caught up in everything. Did you know that it's the end of the year already? Where did time go? It just slipped away, and I tell you, it's been…quite the year. I was wondering if you guys had forgotten about me."

"Jeez, do you get this way when every year ends?" Reno asked sarcastically. "I never took you as the sappy sentimental kind, yo."

"Actually, I guess I do," I answered thoughtfully.

"Right, whatever," Reno waved his hand. "There's been a lot going on since you've been out of the loop. I'm sure you already know how the war's been—slow moving. But you'll never believe what our new buddies have been up to."

"What?" I asked nervously. "What's happened?"

While the Turks had completely removed me from all contact, I still had Genesis and Angeal to rely on for current information on the war. I knew that it had hit a lull at the moment, and it explained why Genesis and Angeal were even able to act as mentors at all. But something that I didn't know about, and something that nagged me at the back of my mind, was the terrorist group.

I was completely in the dark about them, prior knowledge or not.

Reno seemed to hesitate before he spoke.

"Absolutely freakin' nothing."

"Reno…" Releasing a breath I had been holding, I clenched my fist. I turned to glare at Reno, but that wasn't all I did. Stepping out, I tried slamming my fist into his arm as hard as I could. To my dismay, however, he saw it coming. At the last second possible, he side stepped out of the way and I frowned even more.

"Aw come on, don't be like that, yo. Loosen up!" The provoking grin on his lips slowly settled into a flat line. "But the silence isn't necessarily a good thing. Veld's been more quiet than usual, and Tseng's been twitchy. He doesn't show it on the outside, but I just got the feeling. And right now, there's a meeting set to bring all of us up to speed."

"All of us?" I caught on. "Do you mean the other Turks too?"

"Cissnei and Rude will be there, along with Nunchaku and some others you haven't met. It's not really everyone, but that's the best we can do. Everyone's been busy, yo. Busy like you wouldn't believe. I'm running on three cups of coffee alone."

I stared at Reno for a second. There was something about his appearance that seemed more disheveled than usual. There were stains on his white shirt, a pen clenched in his hands that he fiddled with. Dark bags were visible underneath his eyes too. For a moment, Reno reminded me of a college student who had procrastinated until the last moment. That was the vibe I got.

But there was also something more.

"So that's why I'm being called early…Tseng said they would wait until assessments."

What else was going to happen?

* * *

…

If anyone asked where the Turks were based in the Shinra Headquarters, nobody could give a direct answer. The only ones who knew where it was were the Turks themselves. It was true that Veld ran an office beside the Director of SOLDIER on the fifty first floor, but that was more for convenience. Strictly speaking, the actual Turk floor was located in the most mundane, empty looking level of the Shinra Building possible.

Exiting the elevator only revealed an empty hall, a floor that might be used for storage. Looking hard enough, one could find a disguised panel on the far wall. Typing in a few codes and swiping a card gave access to one of the most high tech facilities I had ever seen, and it was well hidden for good reason.

Not only were Turks privy to top secret information, but they held control over all of Shinra's security feed.

And I meant all of them.

Three computer monitors constantly fed in footage from everywhere. All of the different floors, parts of the laboratories, and even the mako reactors themselves which were scattered across the planet. And the computers themselves each took up a whole wall, constantly emitting a blue light. From what I gathered, there were always two Turks posted to watch over them.

There was also the matter of ID machines, but that was another story. The rest of the floor contained the standard office cubicle and numerous break out rooms, each decorated as tastefully as possible with the grayness of the Shinra building. I could have even sworn that somewhere I had seen a coffee machine on a pedestal, but wasn't positive.

Tseng had been waiting for us as soon as we walked in.

He instructed Reno to go ahead to the meeting room, and he complied without much fuss. If anything, he looked eager to sit down with another steaming cup of coffee. Both of us followed, and arrived at the biggest meeting room the floor had to offer. It wasn't as fancy as the Executive's meeting room I had been in earlier, but it was still impressive.

Already sitting at the table, Cissnei caught my eye and nodded in greeting, a small smile quirked on her face. She was sitting in between Rude and the other blond Turk, Nunchaku (at this point, I still wasn't sure what name to call him). Reno plopped himself into the empty seat beside Rude. Opposite them were two faces I hadn't met yet; a petite girl with sunny blonde hair and a tall young man with red hair that was a more subtle shade than Reno's.

There were still a few empty seats, and I glanced around trying to figure out where to go. I was saved by Reno who patted the seat beside him. Wasting no time, I took my seat and removed the helmet from my head, setting it on the table in front of me.

Veld was nowhere to be seen when Tseng started speaking.

I paid close attention to everything that he said as if my life hinged on it.

"—the current actions have remained ambiguous. According to our contacts, the group appears to be operating out of more than one location focused in the western continent. Veld has asked me to remind you all that utmost integrity is required," Tseng said seriously. "You have something to add, Rod?"

I turned my gaze to the man with the red hair as he spoke, his voice gruff.

"One of the group's primary goals is to take down Shinra, there's no mistaking that. While not allied with Wutai, there can be some serious damage control to be done. It would be like we're fighting our own war, especially since we believe a primary goal is to invade Midgar in silence. Searches of the slums might have to become routine."

Tseng nodded his head silently.

"I have some input, sir," The blonde beside Rod shifted slightly. Her blue eyes looked up from the table and I was reminded of somebody else. She had an uncanny resemblance to Elena from the original game, but she was only a rookie. A coincidence? Or maybe they were related.

"Then speak, Gun."

"I've also found reason to believe that Avalanche is liable to attack any understaffed locations that Shinra holds possession of. The reactors at Nibelheim, Corel, and even the one under construction at Modeoheim could be at risk. The guards there have been known to…slack off on occasion."

"That should not be a concern for much longer," Tseng countered. "Veld has already discussed the matter with Director Lazard. Extra help will be dispatched to the locations that require it. Cutting the loose ends will fall to us, however."

"And what about possible traitors?" Nunchaku asked. He glanced at me quickly with a flirtatious smile. "I assume that's our friend here is dressed up?"

"Why else would she be?" Gun chided before looking to me. "So you're the new girl? You don't look like much. How exactly can she blend in with the rest of SOLDIER?"

I bristled at her words, but chose to stay quiet. What she thought about me, I didn't care. Instead, it was Reno who came to my defense, much to my surprise. Slinging a hand around my shoulder, he whistled. "You couldn't be more wrong, Gun. Siby here can be pretty scary, just ask a few of the academy cadets," he boasted.

Tseng glared at him and I saw Rude elbow him slightly.

"Oh, right. The alias," Reno corrected himself. "Mage. I forgot."

"Mage?" I repeated.

"And before you complain, somebody already called Shotgun," Reno added slyly. There were a few resulting groans from his comment, but I felt my lips twitch in amusement. It appeared that everybody had code names that were weapons.

"You've been waiting to use that one, haven't you?" Rod grumbled, burying his head in his hands. "I still can't believe I got recruited by you."

"And I'm sorry that I missed that show," Gun quipped.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"That is enough for now," Tseng interrupted. "Returning to the subject, everything will be taken care of in due time. Each of you will be assigned a specific location to observe for any suspicious activity. The others not present today are set to be briefed by Veld, such is the reason for his absence. They are to follow up on the possible leads."

"And we will still carry out our normal assignments as well?" Cissnei asked.

"Yes. It is important not to forget that the war against Wutai is still strong." Tseng began gathering the papers he had in front of him. "Until this situation with this terrorist group blows over, tread carefully. You will be given your individual assignments tomorrow morning. Dismissed."

As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone began to stir. Not even a minute later, the meeting room was left empty as all of the Turks filed out into the hallway. I was left behind with Tseng who had made no sign of moving.

"Tseng?"

"I suggest that you get used to your code name quickly," He began. "Our resources are being spread very thin at the moment. The chances of you being called to act as a Turk runs high, and it is best to be ready."

"So, that means I'll be going back and forth, huh?" I nodded my head in contemplation.

"It is an easy matter to say that you were pulled for a mission in Wutai," Tseng continued. "However, your first assignment holds priority for now. When assessments are completed, you will receive your equipment back and you will return to training for three nights a week to continue work with the investigation sector."

I snorted.

They were adding training to my training.

The Turks really were expected to act like machines, weren't they?

"There is one other thing you should be made aware of. As you well know, agents of the investigation sector work in pairs. For your particular situation, Veld decided it best to acquire an extra hand."

I tilted my head. "I'm…getting a partner for all of this?"

"He has been picked by Veld specifically," Tseng responded with a nod.

I knew that the Turks always had a partner around. Reno and Rude worked together, Cissnei with Nunchaku, and I assumed Rod with Gun. I wasn't too sure about Tseng and I was certain that Veld didn't have one, but that was a different situation. To have someone assigned to be my partner…I wasn't sure about that.

At least I wouldn't have to find things on my own. If anything, maybe it would mean the load on my shoulders was going to be lighter, making the search for Jenova more within reach.

But who was it?

"Hey Tseng, there was something I was wondering…" I briefly turned my thoughts elsewhere. "How come a majority of the Turks are young? Coming here, I figured that I would be dealing with people who were older. You know, around your age?"

Maybe the one I would be working with was someone who was older. There were still other Turks that I hadn't met yet.

"Are you suggesting that I am old?" Tseng said with a tinge of… humor?

"No, no," I corrected quickly. "I meant to say people in their twenties or thirties."

Even if Veld already pushed past that.

"That lies in the nature of the work we do and the talent we draw upon," Tseng responded as he began leaving the room. "The company seeks to keep its secrets under wraps. In the case of the investigation sector, recruiting is done differently than SOLDIER, certainly a rarer occurrence. You happened to be the one of the last in the third generation of candidates for the company, totaling a staff of seventeen."

I nodded my head along with his words.

"So you're a part of the second generation?" I asked.

"As are Rude and Reno," Tseng added.

"Reno?" I repeated in disbelief. "I didn't know he was here for that long."

"He was also a helping hand in recruiting some of our current staff."

"And that was what Rod complained about in the meeting," I concluded. "Remind me to never get on Reno's bad side then. So, who is it that'll be my partner? When will I meet him?"

"After the assessments are up. Strictly speaking, it will be a matter of weeks. And it just so happens that Reno and Rude are the ones that picked him up," Tseng finished. "Now, I suggest that you get a move on. Until then, tread carefully, _Mage_."

Without another word, Tseng left.

* * *

…

I had changed out of my uniform, deciding to dress down in a shirt and normal pants. Wearing a cap over my head, I headed out into the streets of Midgar. The money I had earned from working for Shinra was more than enough to buy a change of clothes, but that didn't mean I had the time to wear them…Except for now.

It was only a few minutes till midnight, according to the watch I wore, and I had taken my time strolling through the streets in sector 8. After the meeting, I didn't feel like returning to the barracks right away. Lost in thought, it was nice that hardly a soul was out in the city to see me.

I ended up occupying an empty bench in front of the fountain, listening to the trickling water and staring up at the giant billboards.

The meeting left my head swimming with too much information. Or…Maybe I was overthinking things as usual. I was getting pretty antsy, wondering about everything that was going to happen. It wasn't just about AVALANCHE either. The knowledge that I had from day one was just as troubling.

"Another year closer until all hell breaks loose," I complained quietly.

I didn't know exactly when things were supposed to start happening, but I had a pretty good idea. Zack was around sixteen years old when the events of Crisis Core began to unfold. To my understanding, he was practically the same age I was, and that meant in about two years' time, things would start falling apart.

And I was anxious.

There was more than enough time for me to think about everything, but it felt like something new popped up with every corner I turned. Deep in my mind, I held no doubt that with my presence added to the mix things were going to change. Whether events would unfold faster or slower, I had no way of knowing.

It was all just a waiting game.

"You know what? What am I doing?" I muttered. "I still have no clue what I am supposed to do. Find Jenova, I get that, but what happens after? One year closer already…I really wish that I wasn't alone in all of this. Perhaps I'll work up the courage to tell Gen or Angeal, but…"

It would probably destroy everything I had built. There was part of me that didn't want to utter a single word out of fear of what my only friends would say. And as odd as it sounded, I found myself feeling more alive than I had in a while. I didn't want this illusion to end.

Leaning forward, I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath.

When I opened my eyes there was a flash of yellow that caught my eye.

Taking a closer look, it was a flower…maybe a Lily? It sat next to the leg of the bench I was on, and I didn't notice it before.

Bending over, I gently picked it up. Cradling the flower in my hand, I stroked one of the petals, feeling its silky texture under my fingers. It was a little bruised from being on the ground, but it was beautiful.

There was a faint, sweet smell that met my nose and for a brief moment, I felt a wave of calm wash over me. It was as if the flower sensed my distress and was trying to offer reassurance.

Or maybe I was crazy.

"One more year," I said resigned. "Can't quit now, so I guess I have to keep going. That's what you want, right?" Lowering my hands, I glanced up at the empty night sky above. "I really hope you plan on giving me some guidance soon. Any sort of sign would work, I'm not picky. Come on Goddess…"

"You've been listening to too much Loveless, I see," A voice cut through the silence, startling me. "Don't let it get to your head."

I jolted when somebody sat down next to me.

"Angeal?" I questioned in disbelief. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to realize that it was you." Angeal leaned back into the bench, placing an arm across the back. "Plain clothes, that's a new disguise."

"Haha, funny," I answered flatly. "So, what brings you to sector 8?"

"I came here on a hunch," Angeal answered, unclipping his cell. He flipped it open, pressing a few buttons. "A little puppy was concerned that one of his friends was missing at dinner. I'm surprised that I found you before Genesis did."

"Zack was worried? Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. I just felt like going on a walk is all," I responded with a cheerful grin.

"This late? On the last day of the year, hardly anyone would choose to be outside on their own."

"What, is it a holiday that I don't know of?" I joked. Angeal gave me a look that said otherwise and I raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?"

"You've never been told about it? It's supposed to be a holiday spent with friends and family and it takes place on the last day of the year," he said.

"Honestly Angeal, I've never had the time to notice," I answered truthfully. "A holiday with family and friends? It kind of sounds like…Ah, never mind. We probably should get going." It sounded like Christmas, and I wasn't under the impression that Gaia had something like it.

I guess I was wrong.

Getting up from the bench, I carefully placed the flower in my pocket. I would put it in a book later. I yawned, feeling fatigue wash over me. Angeal followed, snapping the PHS back onto his belt "So…" I started. "I guess I'll be qualified to go on Wutai missions soon. It's been pretty boring sticking to group training regiments."

"Well, normally it takes time for new 3rd classes to adjust to mako infusions." He smirked knowingly. "You however happen to be a special case. With that in consideration, Genesis seems to be impressed with how well you've been taking his training. The last kid assigned to him didn't last long, and that was when we were still 2nd class."

"Oh yeah? My bet is that the kid never worked a day in his life," I stated. "Once you've had one teacher, things come into focus afterwards."

"Perhaps."

"And how has Zack been doing?" I asked.

"I've been thinking about keeping him on as a full time student. He's got a lot of potential and maybe someday he'll become a great SOLDIER."

"I figured that was the case." The image of Zack's body flashed in my mind, and my smile faltered slightly. "Zack won't let you down, trust me on that. Just keep an eye on him and he'll be fine."

Angeal slowed his pace. "Something's been troubling you?"

"It's nothing," I brushed his comment aside. "I just have a habit of thinking a lot when the year-end rolls around, that's all. Trust me, Reno called me out on it earlier."

"If you say so," He said unsurely.

The conversation lapsed into silence as we continued walking. I sent a sidelong glance at Angeal. He was staring straight ahead, and seemed to be thinking something. I couldn't help but feel a knot in my stomach.

"Angeal, can I ask you something?"

"Go for it."

The Shinra building was just down the road. It was impossible to not see it from where we were, especially against the dark sky and the green glow of the distant reactors. "We're…Friends, aren't we? You and me and Genesis?" I finally asked.

"Without a doubt," He agreed.

"And you guys would let me know if something was wrong, right? I mean, not to sound corny or anything, but…" I began fiddling with my watch, a lump forming in my throat. I could feel Angeal's gaze as he waited for me to continue. How the hell was I supposed to talk about any of what I was thinking?

Shaking my head, I quickened my pace.

"…never mind, I'm not cut out for this! Let's just get back to headquarters and call it a night, okay? I think that we're both pretty exhausted. I've been known to ramble about anything when I'm tired. Come to think of it, I should probably get ahead on my sleep while I can. No time like the present, am I right? Anyways—"

"Sibyl, easy there." Angeal grabbed my arm to get my attention.

"Right, sorry…" I apologized. Silently, I scolded myself.

What a perfect time to lose your cool Sibyl.

"You're worried," Angeal concluded.

"Yeah," I answered honestly. "I am, and it's something I've been sitting on for much longer than you know."

Slowly, Angeal loosened his grip, letting his hand fall back to his side.

"It's…probably a stupid reason," I offered with a sigh. "To put it simply, I'm just worried about the future. There's always been something nagging in the back of my mind, something that tells me a lot of crap is going to happen. I've tried shoving it to the back of my mind for a while, but now that I'm back with you guys again…It's worse than ever.

"I keep asking myself: will I be able to rise to the challenge when the time comes? Will my actions be enough to change anything?"

Can I stop the people I care about from dying?

"Doesn't seem stupid to me," Angeal spoke up. "Look, there are never any guarantees about the future, but I can promise one thing. As long as you don't watch the world pass you by and you choose to act, things will turn out in the end. Besides, you won't be alone in all of it. You've got us to walk alongside you, no matter what."

As soon as he finished, I found the ground interesting. There were tears in my eyes, and I felt…happy.

Maybe I didn't need to tell them everything.

"Angeal…Maybe you should take up motivational speaking," I teased softly.

"I meant every word of it. If you ever find yourself needing help, Genesis and I will be there. That is what friends do, no matter how much time has passed. Now come on, we should head back. We've talked ourselves into the new year, and Genesis is still waiting for us." On cue, a beeping noise interrupted him. Angeal smirked at that. "See?"

"Yeah, we've kept him waiting for long enough," I agreed. "And Angeal? Could you not mention this to Genesis? He'd probably tease me about it if he knew. It sucks that he already likes to treat me like a kid."

"But you forget that you are," Angeal countered, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "So that's what can upset you…interesting."

"Angeal Hewely, you're not going to use this as black mail!" I accused.

"On my honor, I won't."

"You better not or—wait, what? Okay…that was easy."

"As far as you know."

"Hey! Slow down and wait for me!"

"I forgot that you're still on the short side. Don't worry, you'll gain a few inches and then you can keep up."

"ANGEAL!"

* * *

...

**Extra: **

**?**

The taste of iron was heavy in my mouth and I sniffled slightly as I tried to fight back the tears forming in my eyes.

"Stand up."

Wiping the blood off of my lip, I slowly hoisted myself back onto my feet.

"Again," Vincent's voice carried across the empty clearing.

Nodding my head limply, I settled into a stance once more, my eyes locked on his. Putting one foot in front of the other, my body moved forward again, following the same rhythm as before. My hands moved in sync with my steps, but my breathing was ragged. Before I could even blink, I found myself lying flat on my back again.

And this time a moment went by before Vincent spoke again.

"Stand up and fight."

Sitting up, I dug my fingernails into the cold ground. His words fell heavily on my ears and I scowled. I was stuck and getting more frustrated by the day. "I'm not cut out for this. Can't you tell already?" My voice cracked and I licked my dry lips. "I haven't made any progress at all, so what am I supposed to do?"

"Practice and learn," Vincent answered plainly.

"Can we try to do something different?" I asked hopefully.

"No," He said bluntly. "And regardless of how many times you ask, the answer will remain. Make no mistake, you were the one who sought me out and agreed to abide by my teachings. By no means does that mean you can make requests."

That was the longest I had ever heard him speak, and I didn't know whether to be impressed or annoyed.

Vincent turned his back on me and began stalking in the direction of the mansion. Scraping myself off the ground, I dusted my hands off on my pants before running after him. "Wait, are we finished today?" I asked in exasperation. Trying to keep up with the tall man was no easy feat when I was barely half his height.

"It appears that you are." He answered curtly.

Not even a month in, and I was already done with what I had barely started. Even with how hard Vincent was to read, it was easy to tell that I was wearing thin on his patience. I clenched my hand in a fist, feeling a sudden wave of shame wash over me. If that was the case, then I really was weak.

"Wear your emotions so plainly and you will fail," Vincent cut into my thoughts.

"Then…I won't do this again," I spoke up. Letting the tension out of my shoulders, I took a deep breath. "From here on out, I won't complain. I promise."

* * *

...

Author's Note: A lot of time has gone by, hasn't it? On that note, happy New Year!

This chapter is supposed to be more of a time skip. I'm trying to speed things up a little to move on with the story. Because of Sibyl's presence, things will start to be effected. Some events from the game will start to happen faster as a result, and things will be revealed. I'm going to try and actually write down the details for each chapter. Maybe then I'll be able to get them off quicker. Believe it or not, but I had to rewrite this chapter several times. It was pretty hard trying to find the right fit, but I decided on this one.

I've also found random thoughts floating through my head about revising the first few chapters of the story to improve the flow. It might not happen anytime soon, but it's been on my mind.

I really appreciate all of my readers out there, and cannot express this enough. Here's hoping to a great year!

Until next time,

~BlueCampanula


End file.
